N 1400 Road to close Monday for bridge replacement near Eudora

Drivers east of Eudora will need to reroute for school runs, farm traffic and work commutes once N 1400 Road, also known as County Route 442, closes between E 2300 Road and E 2400 Road for a bridge replacement project. Douglas County says access will be maintained for nearby properties, but the closure will cut off a rural east-west link near the Johnson County line that many residents use to move across the county’s edge.

Douglas County Public Works said the closure will begin Monday, May 18, as crews replace a weight-restricted bridge carrying Route 442 over a tributary to Captain Creek. County records show the existing concrete span was built by the state in 1931 as part of the original K-10 Highway project. The bridge handles an estimated 420 to 550 vehicles a day, according to county planning documents, a modest count on paper but one that reflects how heavily rural roads matter when there are few direct alternates.

The project is listed in Douglas County’s Capital Improvement Plan as Project 2026-B3, 1400-2342 Replacement. County officials estimate the work will cost about $1.2 million and take about four months, weather permitting. Board agenda records show commissioners approved BG Consultants Inc. for engineering services at a not-to-exceed cost of $90,895 and later authorized solicitation of construction bids.

The closure comes as Douglas County continues a larger bridge maintenance effort across its road system. Public Works says it maintains 224 miles of county roads, 158 bridges and 1,100 culverts. The county’s 2026-2030 Capital Improvement Plan proposes eight bridge replacements over five years at an estimated cost of $12.6 million, with projects prioritized by structural condition and road safety factors. County planning documents also note that bridge inspections are required every two years under federal law, part of the cycle that keeps aging rural crossings from turning into emergency repairs.

For people living and working in the Eudora area, the practical impact will be immediate: longer drives, altered bus and farm routes, and added pressure on nearby roads whenever traffic shifts away from the closure zone. Douglas County’s notice gives residents time to prepare before work begins, but the project also underscores how a single bridge in a less-populated part of the county can ripple through daily life well beyond the construction site.