Logjams devastate county bridges
Staff writer
Torrential rains and flooding June 17 to 18 have severely threatened at least four county bridges, but the county may be eligible for a grant to pay for clearing the jams.
Commissioners voted Monday to allow road and bridges employees to apply for a Natural Resources Conservation grant that might cover 75% of the cost.
Administrative assistant Doug Kjellin told commissioners that the county could meet its required 25% contribution as an in-kind contribution, requiring no cash outlay.
Kjellin said grants might be available through the Flood Control Act or the Agricultural Credit Act. He expects to find out within 30 days and, if grants are available, learn whether the county would receive them within 120 days.
The worst of the damage is on Goldenrod Rd. an eighth of a mile north of 290th Rd. and on 230th Rd. an eighth of a mile east of Turkey Creek Rd., but other locations also have logjams, Kjellin said.
Not only are logs stacked up at the bridges. On 230th Rd., nearly a quarter of the approach to the bridge has washed away, leaving a chasm several feet wide all the way to the pilings of the bridge. The road remains closed.
Accumulated limbs and other debris must be removed before repairs are made to safeguard lives and property, Kjellin said.
“There’s no use doing repairs until we get rid of those sticks,” he said.
After they are removed, the logs will have to be burned and their ashes buried, he said.