Wright County approves removal of northeast guardrail end section on Taylor Avenue bridge

Wright County’s engineer briefed the board on options for the northeast end section of the recently replaced Taylor Avenue bridge guardrail. Options included leaving the guardrail, shifting the end section outward about two feet at an estimated cost of $6,000, or removing the trailing end section and reshaping the shoulder; the approach end section could not be removed due to federal funding constraints.

Residents had reported that the guardrail made the curve feel narrow and that vehicles 'hug' the rail. The engineer said removal should be substantially less expensive than the $6,000 option because county crews could extract posts with an excavator and keep the removed materials in stock.

A trustee moved and the board voted to remove the trailing northeast guardrail end section. Staff said they will issue a work order and carry out reshaping in the coming days.