County Awards 2026 Materials Contracts, Updates Major Bridge Timetable

Dubois County commissioners on December 1 voted to approve highway department recommendations to award contracts for materials needed in 2026 work, and they received detailed project updates on three major bridge repairs and replacements. Highway staff reviewed sealed bids for aluminized steel pipe, polyethylene pipe, geotextile fabrics, ready mix concrete, asphalt and quarry stone, and recommended awards to a mix of vendors chosen to balance cost, freight and availability. Staff flagged that some bids included escalation and de escalation clauses as well as minimum order freight thresholds, terms that affected how responsive certain offers were. The board approved the awards as recommended by the highway superintendent and no member objected to the procurement decisions.

County engineering staff provided schedule briefings on three bridges in active or imminent work. Bridge 21 at Little Creek on County Road 200 West was closed November 3 for a superstructure replacement. Crews poured the new deck on November 26 using cold weather protections, and the county will break test cylinders to verify the 4,000 psi design strength before the bridge is expected to reopen late the following week. Bridge 116 on County Road 820 East is slated to close December 8 for demolition, with a goal to pour concrete before year end and to reopen after the holiday break. Bridge 78 over the Patoka River has contract documents about 95 percent complete, and the project will be advertised in December and January with a targeted contractor award in February 2026. That work will require a full closure estimated to last one and a half to two months during construction.

Commissioners discussed detour routes and traffic impacts, and county staff said they will post notices and use social media and local radio to inform the public about closures and alternate routes. For residents who travel County Road 200 West, County Road 820 East or crossings over the Patoka River, the schedules set by the county provide a clearer timeline for temporary disruptions and reopening. The procurement choices and the attention to freight and escalation clauses reflect how broader supply chain and pricing pressures continue to influence local infrastructure projects, shaping both costs and timetables for county road maintenance in the year ahead.