The closed Blue Earth County Road 9 bridge next to the Rapidan Dam is unsafe to reopen and the county will pursue federal funding to remove it and build a new one.
That means it will likely be a few years before a new bridge is in place.
Kristine Elwood, of MnDOT, said the county is eligible for Federal Highway Administration Emergency Funding to remove and replace the bridge. She said the feds would cover 80%, with the state likely to cover the other 20%. There’s also a chance the federal agency would cover all the costs. An early estimate for the cost of a new bridge is more than $18 million.
Elwood said the county has two years from the time of the flooding to get all federal authorizations and the funding. She said the board needs to begin making decisions and keep the process on schedule.
Meanwhile, at least some County Commissioners appear to be in favor of removing the dam, pursuing federal and state funds to help pay for removal and river restoration work.
Blue Earth County Engineer Ryan Thilges told the board the have four options on the dam: repair the current dam and fill the large void left by the new river channel, build a new dam, leave the dam in place as it is while improving the eroded riverbank or remove the dam.
He said the board will need to make a decision about the dam because that would affect the design of the new bridge.
The county is also likely to seek funding from FEMA for removing the dam. Federal funding would cover 75% with 25% coming from local/state funding.