Gage County officials awaiting completion of box culvert work

BEATRICE – Gage County officials said Wednesday that the completion of several box culvert projects near Clatonia and DeWitt remains a struggle. The company doing the work faces the prospect of liquidated damages on the contract if the work isn’t completed by June 1st.

Gage County Highway Department Superintendent Mark Kuhnke says it appears one of the projects could be completed and opened by that date, but four others are less certain.

"Structure 1238, which would be the first structure just west of the intersection of Southwest 100th and Chestnut...the concrete broke yesterday at strength. The next one, they started pouring it last Thursday....they poured the east half. Weather has delayed them....wasn't for sure if they poured the west half on Friday....it rained, off and on. They were continuing backfilling on structure 1240. That's about all I got."

Gage County granted a six-month extension from last November to May, for completion of the projects, and then an additional shorter-term extension.

Kuhnke says liquidated damages amount to $300 per day, per structure…..for projects not reopened to traffic by June 1st. That doesn’t include seeding of area around the structures and paint stripes.

"Theoretically, if they were to pull off structure 1240 and go back to 1238, they could shoulder that...get that one ready....that one could be labeled as a completed structure. 1239....I don't see it completed by June 1st, just because the way the concrete has been breaking....that 35-hundred state mix. It's taking two weeks to hit strength. I don't foresee that being open there. 1240...they haven't even started pouring....they're still filling. And then, 1236, they still have to pave that one."

Supervisor Emily Haxby says a 45-day completion period on each individual structure ended prior to May 1st.

At the Gage County Supervisors meeting Wednesday, officials reviewed bids and approved purchase of a pickup for the county highway department.

The bid of Zoellner Ford-Lincoln of Beatrice was approved on a Ford one-ton four-wheel-drive single cab, at a cost of $44,999. The county plans to install a flatbed on the truck. A total of four bids were received.