Labette County commissioners on Monday agreed to pursue funding for repair of a bridge near Mound Valley.
Bridge No. 109, built in 1950, is on 14500 Road near Harper Road. The long structure has 41-, 44- and 41-foot segments and has a weight limit of 10 tons. The sufficiency rating is listed at 49.8, and anything below 50 can be considered for replacement.
Commissioners considered a list of five bridges from an email from Public Works Director Sandy Krider before deciding on the bridge near Mound Valley. The county sought funding to replace Bridge No. 109 in 2016 from the pool of money available from the Kansas Department of Transportation for off-system bridges, such as those on many gravel roads. The project was not approved and the bridge’s condition continues to deteriorate.
The county formerly repaired more bridges each year when the state had a five-year bridge program, but a funding change through KDOT slowed bridge replacement to two bridges in the last five years.
In the off-system bridge program, the county is responsible for 20 percent of the cost of the replacement and also must pay to move utilities and purchase right of way for the work from property owners.
(Read more: Parsons Sun)