Henry County Supervisors approve Fremont Avenue culvert plans

MT. PLEASANT — The Henry County Board of Supervisors approved plans to replace a small bridge on Fremont Avenue with a concrete culvert, moving forward with one of several road projects scheduled for 2025 at the Thursday, Sept. 18 meeting.

County engineer Jake Hotchkiss said the cast-in-place box culvert will be constructed south of the unnamed creek on Fremont Avenue, with bids set to open Oct. 23.

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“We would anticipate probably eight weeks, if everything goes well, from removal of the existing bridge to finishing our work,” Hotchkiss told the board.

The county’s road crew will handle grading and site work once the culvert is installed.

Hotchkiss explained that the decision to use a concrete culvert rather than tank cars was made after evaluating the site’s geology.

“With the rock formations that we’ve got down there, I elected to go to a concrete structure,” he said, noting that cast-in-place concrete provides a longer-term solution.

The Fremont Avenue project is part of a busy schedule for the county’s secondary roads department. Hotchkiss said the county expects to build three culverts and replace one bridge next year, with overall construction costs approaching $5 million.

“That’s a little more than normal,” he said. “We don’t usually have back-to-back years where we’re spending that much, but it’s just the way the timing worked.”

Supervisors also heard an update on current maintenance. Crews are seeding and placing topsoil along Old Highway 34 near Benton Avenue and repairing slopes on Franklin Avenue after tile drainage improvements. Rock resurfacing and shoulder maintenance are underway in several locations, including Oasis Avenue north of Winfield and 170th Street between Trenton and Highway 218.

Hotchkiss said weather remains the biggest factor in how quickly gravel roads can be graded.

“Blading dry rock usually doesn’t work out real well,” he said. “If we get moisture, yes, then we will cease our rocking operations and get them out blading as soon as we can.”

The Fremont Avenue culvert will be one of the first projects let for bid in 2025. Hotchkiss said contractors may be able to begin work over the winter, though the formal start date will be set for spring.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com