BEATRICE – The two-mile stretch of road that leads from U.S. Highway 136 east of Beatrice, to the Rockford State Recreation Lake area will be getting some surface work soon.


The Gage County Board Wednesday approved the bid of Cather and Sons, Inc., to do an overlay of South 94th Road, at a cost of $547,379. The company’s bid was one of three reviewed by the supervisors and was the lowest bid.


"Mill out two inches....fix any repairs......and put back to two inches....just to 94th and Lilac."


That stretch of South 94th has been in poor condition. The project being done does not include the asphalt road that winds around the east side of Rockford Lake, though Gage County Highway Superintendent Mark Kuhnke says it’s hoped that stretch will be state-funded in the future.


"We cored the road last summer. We got all that stuff submitted. We were hoping to do a one-inch mill and some armor coat on that road to save some cost, and hopefully buy some years before some rec funds came in. The cores showed different and didn't allow us to do some of that, so that's why we came to this option two. With those cores, we were able to follow that next step for the recreational fund, submitting all that to Game and Parks and to NDOT."


County officials are hoping to receive grant support to help pay for the additional work. Also submitting bids on the two miles of South 94th were Pavers, Inc. and Constructors, Inc.


Under the Cather and Sons bid approved, the project would start after March 15th….and be completed on or before June 1st…the completion date specified by Gage County.