The Platte County Commission is moving forward with a $1 million bridge replacement project near Parkville.
The South Crooked Road Bridge over Rush Creek was built in 1967 and shows its age, according to bridge reports. It carries about 1,500 cars per day, with that number expected to almost double over the next 20 years.
At the Monday, Nov. 3 administrative session of the Platte County Commission, commissioners heard from Director of Public Works Bob Heim. Three bids were opened in early October, with the lowest bid from Widdle Waddell Construction Inc. for $1,084,921. That bid was awarded through unanimous vote.
The project is federally funded, with 80 percent of costs covered through a federal BRO program and the remainder funded through various other state soft match programs, bringing the actual project cost down to what Heim called a “minimal” cost for the county.
“Thank you to you and your staff for the work that you did to make sure this qualifies for BRO grant and that the soft match funds were available,” said Presiding Commissioner Scott Fricker.
Collector Sheila Palmer also spoke to the commission, letting citizens know that property tax bills will be going out in the mail this week and will also be available online at plattecountycollector.com. Payments may also be made online.
“My office has already been inundated with calls and chat messages,” Palmer said.
As for the state tax commission order, Palmer said, residential real estate values will be calculated using 2024 numbers, with an additional 6.835 percent increase as required by the State Tax Commission. Seniors taking advantage of the senior tax credit will also see that reflected in their tax paperwork.
Also at the meeting, Director of Parks and Recreation Daniel Erickson announced the applications are now open for the 2026 Parks and Rec Outreach grants.
“Based on the popularity of this program – which is at about 25 years this year – we’re hoping to allocate more funds this year so we can maybe fund more projects or better projects,” Erickson said.