Champion residents discuss bridge options with county commissioners

    With the Chase County Commissioners planning on replacing the bridge between Champion and its lake, members of the community attended their March 8 meeting to share opinions.
    Highway Superintendent Toney Krajewski updated the visitors during public forum. Krajewski has suggested putting in two 48-inch culverts with dirt over the top. The culverts could be anchored to the current bridge pilings so they wouldn’t be washed away by flood waters. Water would be allowed to flow over the culverts and dirt would be replaced by the county as needed.
    The culverts would be “cheaper, easier on taxpayer pocketbooks and fixable if something happens,” Krajewski said.
    The approach to the culverts won’t be steep and will stay below property lines. The front side of the crossing will have riprap.
    Champion residents had concerns about the culverts plugging up and flooding upsteam.
    They brought several other options, including railroad flat beds with their wheels removed and closing the east entrance while adding a new road in from the west.
    After the residents left, the commissioners moved through their agenda and the bridge came up once more during the discussion of the one and six-year road plans, saying they still liked the idea of the culverts.
    Commissioner Dennis Kunnemann said Krajewski’s plan makes the most sense.
    Also on the one-year road plan was additional paving along Ave. 331, also know as Junk Yard Road, striping and county-wide maintenance.
    Repairs to Old Highway 6 are on the six-year road plan.
    Commissioner Duane Dinnel said he is worried putting off the project will put the road in the “same shape as Wauneta south and Champion.”
    Also on the six-year plan is an armor coat and asphalt layer on Ave. 331.
    Two bids were received for the Champion and Wauneta road projects.
    Bids were from Werner Construction, $4,620,662.44, and Simon Contractors, $5,703,655.33.
    While discussing options, the commissioners elected to remove striping to reduce costs by around $56,000 and, after discussion about reducing thickness of the paving to two-inches, keeping a three-inch paved layer.
    Werner’s bid was accepted.
    The commissioners also opened bids for two road graders. A John Deere bid of $324,852 for a tandem drive without trade was accepted because of its earlier delivery date and a second John Deere bid of $275,363 with trade were accepted over CAT bids.
    The next meeting of the commissioners will be March 22 at 8 a.m. in the Chase County Courthouse.