By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
The Guthrie County Board of Supervisors heard from County Engineer Josh Sebern regarding planned replacement of the Thompson 71A bridge during their March 31 regular weekly meeting.
“This would be the bridge over the Middle River, on White Pole Road, east of Casey. The deck on the bridge is quite bad. You wouldn’t guess it to drive over it and look at it, but you get underneath and you notice the salt crystals on the bottom side of the deck, so it’s fully penetrated with salt,” Sebern said.
“This is something we’ve been talking about for five or six years, at least,” Supervisor Mike Dickson said. Sebern agreed.
“We know it’s getting to the point that we have to do something,” Sebern said. “So we’re going to work on replacing that, using federal dollars. It’s scheduled to be replaced in 2027.”
Sebern explained that the Department of Transportation (DOT) agreement simply documents that the county agrees to abide by all DOT regulations for the project. Sebern also noted that because of traffic volume, the new bridge will be 40 feet wide.
The supervisors unanimously voted to approve the DOT funding agreement.
Sebern also mentioned his plans to attend a national conference in Dallas, Texas, in April. He said he will submit a written request for approval from the supervisors.
The supervisors meet regularly at 9 a.m. Tuesdays. The public is welcome to attend at the courthouse or via remote technology. To join remotely, call 323-792-6123 and use meeting code 547029216#.