Mitchell County explores bridge grant opportunity; staff to submit intent by June 8

Mitchell County supervisors discussed a notice of a CHBP bridge grant opportunity and directed staff to identify which local structures qualify and to submit an intent-to-participate form by June 8.

A supervisor said four county bridges could be eligible but that one bridge, located on a curve, likely will not meet the programstandard because the grant favors simple, standard DOT bridge types. "We have 4 bridges that can qualify for the grant... 1 of them won't qualify because it's on a curve," the committee member said.

The board agreed staff would extract project information from county spreadsheets, prepare cost estimates for each candidate structure and submit the county's intent to participate by the program's deadline. The supervisor noted the county must be prepared to commit an estimated $10,000 as the county match or participation fee if the county is awarded funds: "But we have to be committed to a $10,000 an estimated $10,000 grant fee like we've done in the past." The board also discussed timing, noting the earliest letting could fall in late September and into fiscal year 2028.

Board members acknowledged competition in the prior round and that scoring is competitive; one supervisor said the county missed a prior award by one point and that project priorities and available funds will affect which applications get selected.

Next steps: staff will generate estimates for the candidate bridges, prepare submission materials and return to the board with final recommendations prior to the June 8 intent deadline.