Washington Evening Journal
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County buys steel to replace bridge on H Avenue
By Winona Whitaker, Hometown Current
Oct. 8, 2023 9:13 am
MARENGO — Iowa County took bids for steel last week so that replacement of a bridge on H Avenue a mile and a half north of I-80 can begin in the spring.
The bridge is currently embargoed at 15 tons. “At 15 tons, not a lot can get over it,” said County Engineer Nick Amelon.
The county will accept a bid for steel for the pilings first, said Amelon. Then it will accept bids to install the pilings. “We don’t have the crane to do that.”
The new bridge will be rated over 40 tons, so anything will be able to drive on it, said Amelon. “For a reference, a school bus is about 10 tons.”
Many factors cause bridges to deteriorate, said Amelon. “In this case, it’s probably the timber piling. And we’ll be replacing it with steel.’
Amelon can use tax increment financing funds for the bridge replacement because the bridge is within the limits of the urban renewal plan for which the county has authorized the use of TIF.
“They’re taxing the windmills, and since the windmills are in that part of the county, we can use that money to replace this bridge,” Amelon said.
“Over the course of the next three years, as far as the TIF goes, we are going to spend about $6.4 million,” said Amelon. The bridge replacement on H Avenue will cost about $190,000.
“Next summer we’re going to be replacing two bridges around Williamsburg,” said Amelon. One is a 150-foot bridge that will cost about a million dollars.
“And then we’ll do some bridges in house,” he said.
North English
Iowa County will pay about $12,500 to pave half a road for a quarter of a mile outside North English.
The City of North English will be paving Washington Street, said Amelon. “They’re in charge of it,” he said, but Iowa County and North English split the part of Washington Street. “We’re in charge of half a road for a quarter mile,” Amelon said.
North English’s estimate for the project is $697,000. The Iowa County Board of Supervisors awarded the town $557,800 in a Surface Transportation Block Grant to help pay for the project.
Iowa County, which owns 9% of the street, will pay 9% of the balance, or $12,500.
Paving gravel roads
Residents petitioned the county this summer to pave V Avenue, but the county declined the request, citing lack of funds.
The stretch of road is about 5.5 miles, said Amelon, and the cost to pave it is about $2 million a mile. That would be an $11 million project.
Though V is a farm-to-market road, the county receives only $1.2 million a year in farm-to-market road funds.
Amelon said he’s tried to get grants for the road but hasn’t received any.
“Our current plan is to repair our current paved road system as best we can before we start to pave gravel roads,” said Amelon.
During the time that Amelon has been with the county, it has paved a third of the gravel roads, “if not more,” he said. “So we’re making good progress.”
The county will pave M Avenue, a highly traveled road, next year and H Avenue, which is bumpy, after that, Amelon said.
The M Avenue project includes extending the shoulders, making the road wider. A $500,000 grant will help pay for the project. “That’ll be our main one next year,” Amelon said.
Poweshiek bridge
Iowa County will have to help pay for a bridge replacement on the Iowa-Poweshiek County line next year.
The bridge is in northwest Iowa County, north of F17. Poweshiek County just ordered the steel, said Amelon, and plans to begin construction in the spring. The bridge replacement will cost $200,000 to $250,000.