In about two months, the Callaway County Commission plans to ask for bids on a new bridge along County Road 435 at Middle River.
Callaway County Presiding Commissioner Gary Jungermann said the bridge, estimated to cost about $500,000, will be paid for with 80 percent federal funds and 20 percent county funds from the federal gasoline tax.
The bridge is part of Missouri's Off-System Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program (BRO). It funnels federal gas tax money to counties for bridges built on county roads that are not part of the state's highway road network.
The program requires bridges built under the program to pass both state and federal specifications.
"The state has already approved drawings for the County Road 435 bridge. We can get started as soon as the project is approved by the federal government in the next few days," Jungermann said.
State Road NN becomes County Road 435 south of Fulton.
The project also includes raising the roadway near the bridge to prevent frequent flooding.
"We will add some culverts to prevent that road from being closed during heavy rains," Jungermann said.
Jungermann said federal tax money flows into the state each year to finance most of the county large bridge replacement program.
"The state will hold the money until the state and federal government approve bridge projects proposed by counties throughout the state. At last report, the state was holding about $55 million in this fund for all counties in the state for bridge work," Jungermann said.
The commissioner said Callaway County tries to use all of its share of the federal gas tax money as soon as possible while there is still money in the state fund.
Jungermann said Callaway County has about six other bridges that eventually will qualify for the federal funding after the County Road 435 bridge is built this year.
"We are working on all of the deficient bridges and replacing them as fast as possible," Jungermann said.
"Using this federally financed BRO program is about the only way the county can afford these expensive big bridge replacements. The federal government's gas tax pays for 80 percent of the cost and the county pays the remaining 20 percent," Western District Commissioner Doc Kritzer said.
Every two years, the Missouri Department of Transportation inspects all 167 bridges in Callaway County. To qualify for the federal bridge replacement program, the state inspection must reveal some deficiency in the county road bridge.
Kritzer said the county typically needs to accumulate funds it receives as its share of the federal money each year. Last year, the BRO program was used to replace a bridge on County Road 436 east of New Bloomfield.
Kritzer said a concrete culvert on County Road 230 also may be replaced this year using all county money if funds are still available and negotiations with landowners go forward.