The land acquisition process has been completed for the Monterey Bridge project, and hopes are high for bids on the project to be let in spring. The project involves the construction of a new bridge to route traffic away from the Monterey Bridge, which is too small and unsafe for regular traffic but cannot be removed because of its historical nature.
Jeff Larrison of United Consulting told the commissioners previously that the purchase of six of the nine parcels of land to be acquired were ready to be approved by the commissioners, and another parcel of land in the size of 83 square feet was purchased for $400 and did not require a signature. There was a conflict with the purchase of the remaining two parcels as counter-offers were returned by the landowners who requested more money than the county had offered.
The project also hit a snag when it was discovered that a small stretch of land near the riverbank was not owned by the county and needed to be purchased as well. However, those issues have since been resolved, and the properties have been acquired, allowing the project to continue on schedule.
