Judge Gabbard Talks About County Bridges

Judge Shane Gabbard

The County-City Bridge Improvement Program (CCBIP) is a new program through the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) Department of Rural and Municipal Aid to support Kentucky counties and cities in maintaining, repairing and replacing locally owned bridges.

CCBIP is a data driven program with the goals to provide data, tools and funding resources to local agencies to:
• encourage focus on routine maintenance and early corrective action to minimize expensive future needs;
• provide data and education to increase bridge longevity to local governments; and
• determine prioritization for replacement and/or repair.

In addition, the Department of Rural and Municipal Aid has secured $50 Million of funding in the current biennial highway plan. This funding provides competitive funding opportunities for the repair and/or replacement of critical locally owned bridges.

All roadway structures meeting the Federal definition of a “bridge” (carrying traffic and over 20 feet in length) are eligible to compete for CCBIP funding. Applications will compete against other applications within the funding cycle and be evaluated based on overall bridge condition, availability of alternate routes (detour length) and overall use as well as other factors considered by the committee.

To apply for CCBIP funding a local agency must complete the steps below. Completion of Application Form TC 20-44, Letter of Recommendation from KYTC District Bridge Engineer Completion of Local Bridges 101 (Judge/Executive/Mayor and Road Supervisor/Public Works Director) and Local Bridges 102 (County/City Engineer/Road Supervisor/Public Works Director) Sketch of Proposed Repairs/Replacement and a Detailed Cost Estimate.

Jackson County has a lot of bridges. Some of them are in a lot worse shape than others. Maintenance of bridges can be very costly. I applied earlier this year for this new funding to replace the bridge on Bean Pole Road. That bridge is currently closed due to the poor condition of the structure. 17 counties were awarded funding but Jackson County was not one of those counties. Due to the bridge being closed and the amount of traffic in that area we are going to pay for repairs ourselves. I have already contacted contractors and they should be starting repairs soon. We have waited as long as we can for state funding on that project. I will keep the community informed on progress as we go along.

Have a blessed week