Cape County commission advances bridge, culvert projects

The Cape Girardeau County Commission took a head start on a bridge project and had it pay off in a big way.

Much of the discussion during its Thursday, April 11, meeting revolved around replacing a bridge on County Road 501 over Apple Creek.

“We had other bridges scheduled for replacement, so we went ahead and, without having the money, thought we’d get the design going in case the money came up to build the bridge,” Associate Commissioner Paul Koeper said.

The state awarded $1.3 million for bridge replacement, but since the $100,000 design work was done prior to receiving the funding, state funding would not cover the design.

“In the long run, pay $100,00 to get $1.3 million, it’s a good deal,” Koeper added.

The commissioners approved an increase from the county’s highway budget for the project from $99,000 to $105,000 to cover bid advertising, with engineering to be covered by the state’s $1.3 million.

Culvert bid approved

The commissioners also approved a bid for $87,868 from McCann Concrete Products out of Dorsey, Illinois, to construct a box culvert to replace a failing bridge on County Road 222.

Koeper said building a new bridge would cost more than five times as much so a culvert would be a better option.

He said, if everything goes right, the culvert would be done by early fall of 2024. The money came from the county’s highway budget.