Engineering firm hired to design bridge

The Washington County Board of Supervisors Tuesday took another step in replacing the bridge at McKain's Landing.

The board approved a contract with Calhoun-Burns and Associates, a Des Moines-based engineering firm, to design the new bridge.

County Engineer Jacob Thorius said that the design contract is $50,000 plus an hourly rate for any revisions that need to be done.

He explained that the initial design has to be reviewed by the Iowa Department of Transportation.

'Sometimes, changes have to be made, and sometimes, they don't recommend any changes,” Thorius said.

Replacing the bridge on Dogwood Avenue over the Skunk River, north of Lake Darling State Park, has been on the county's radar for many years.

'We first started looking at construction back in 2003 or 2004,” Thorius said. 'It's been a funding issue.”

The estimated cost of replacing the bridge is $6.5 million.

Washington County is working with seven other counties seeking a $25 million federal grant for projects in each of the counties.

Earlier this month, the Board of Supervisors agreed to pitch in $13,000 - along with the other counties - to hire a consultant to help write the grant application.

'Because of the competitiveness of this grant, we have decided we need to hire a consultant to help write that grant and make sure we put forth the best effort to do that,” Thorius said. 'There's no guarantee. We'll have to spend some money to hopefully get a much greater return on it. If we're successful, it's well worth that cost.”