Pulaski County is narrowing down the list of properties needed for an upcoming bridge replacement project. Bridge 257 on County Road 400 East over Mill Creek is set to be replaced next year.
Jeff Larrison with United Consulting told the county commissioners Monday that engineers had identified six parcels that might be affected but were able to cut that number down to four during the design process. “We reduced it from six to four parcels, and we’re at about, roughly, 25 percent of what we estimated the land cost would be for the project, so we’re in good shape with all that right now,” Larrison said.
The commissioners officially signed off on the appraisals that were obtained for the four parcels, allowing negotiations with the property owners to begin. Larrison said that once the land is acquired and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources finishes processing the permit, the county will be able to apply for a Community Crossings grant. That would cover 75 percent of the cost with state funding.
He added that, overall, Pulaski County’s bridges still appear to be in good shape. “Every county that has their bridges inspected, they have to do a load rating on that bridge now, which is a little bit more of an in-depth analysis of the bridge,” Larrison explained. “They have to do that one time, and then it’ll be good for a few more years. But we’re working through that, and we’ve not come across anything that would raise a red flag for Pulaski County, which is good. You don’t want any surprises.”
The next bridges in line for replacement are also on Mill Creek, at 315 East and 250 South.
