Dearborn County awards Bridge 221 contract and approves four‑year bridge‑inspection agreement

Todd Liston, Dearborn County engineer, told commissioners May 6 that six bids were received for Bridge 221 on Davidson Road and recommended awarding the work to Sinesis Construction of Westchester, Ohio for $1,062,798.00. A commissioner moved to accept the bid and the Board approved the award.

Liston also explained federally required bridge inspections and reported that United Consulting of Indianapolis was selected to perform inspections for fiscal years 2027–2030. The contract totals $689,464.12; NDOT will reimburse the county 80 percent through the federal program, with work and payments portioned across the four‑year cycle.

Liston said tighter federal inspection standards—such as arm’s‑length inspections for truss bridges that require personnel to work under bridges—have increased contract costs. He noted those specialized inspections can add roughly $15,000 per bridge per year when structures require under‑bridge access.

Separately, commissioners approved a one‑time inspection of the Triple Whipple historic pedestrian bridge (Bridge 95) for $1,356.42.

Next steps: county staff will execute the construction notice of award and finalize the inspection contract per NDOT requirements.