After late start, county projects winding down
Published 10:18 am Monday, November 18, 2013
After a late start thanks to snow and rain, road and bridge work is winding down in Mower County.
“We’ve had a long year,” said Public Works Director Mike Hanson, who said the 10-plus inches of snow in May and then a stretch of rainy weather made for a slow start to the season.
Region-wide, Hanson said many counties and cities are still working to catch up and finish projects, and he’s heard some areas have two weeks of blacktopping left, and some work could carry over to next year.
“I don’t think anybody ever caught up,” he said.
All things considered, Hanson said, he’s happy with where projects are locally, as most are completed or about to wrap up in the coming weeks.
“We’re in pretty good shape here,” he said.
Crews were laying pavement on the Roosevelt Bridge last week, and crews will continue on the stone work for a few weeks, with some of the work coming in heated, enclosed structures, according to Hanson. The bridge spans the Cedar River on Fourth Street Southeast between Fourth Avenue and Sixth Avenue.
The historic restoration of the bridge started last year. Previous estimates called for the project to cost about $3.6 million, with about $2.1 million in federal funding, $800,000 from state bonds and about $800,000 local dollars.
The bridge was closed for parts of this summer and last summer, and work will continue into next year. The bridge will be closed again in 2014, but likely only for a few weeks, depending on how much work is completed yet this fall.
“It’s not going to be like it’s closed for another long season,” Hanson said.
Crews paved the Law Enforcement Center parking lot Thursday, and crews are still finishing up a bridge project on the State Line Road east of Highway 218 near Lyle.
Crews are also putting pipes in for a project on 300th Street near Waltham, and the road should open soon.