Morris County is being awarded $1,775,000 to replace a bridge 4.9 miles west of White City, bringing welcome news for a long-needed infrastructure project.
Gov. Laura Kelly announced last week that 31 local bridge projects across Kansas will receive a combined $40.5 million in state and federal funding through two local bridge improvement programs. With matching funds from awarded cities and counties, the total project value is nearly $44.5 million.
The Morris County project is for RS-70, a bridge located 4.9 miles west of White City on G Avenue over Clarks Creek. The bridge has an upstream contributing drainage area of 53.8 square miles.
Shelly Lautt, director of Morris County Public Works, said the announcement is very good news for the county.
“This bridge is 69 years old, but the concrete deck has become a regular maintenance issue for Morris County,” Lautt said.
According to Lautt, the county previously attempted to rehabilitate the bridge deck, but once the contractor began work, it was discovered that nearly 40 percent of the deck was delaminated. About 7 percent of the deck deterioration was deep enough to require full-depth patching.
The county then applied a polymer overlay in an effort to potentially preserve the deck for another five to six years while pursuing outside funding through the Kansas Local Bridge Improvement Program.
“This was the third year we have applied for the funding,” Lautt said.
Morris County is committed to providing $280,276 in local matching funds toward construction and inspection for the project.