A timber bridge on 340th Street in Nordland Township is one of Lyon County’s priorities for replacement in the next five years. The Nordland Township bridge was one of three bridge projects proposed for construction in 2024.

MARSHALL — A pair of wooden bridges on township roads are high on Lyon County’s list of priorities for bridge replacements. Construction on the two bridges – one located in Nordland Township and one in Shelburne Township – is being proposed for this year, Lyon County highway engineer Aaron VanMoer said Tuesday.

“They’ve met their life expectancy,” VanMoer said Wednesday. The two timber bridges were each more than 50 years old, he said.

At Tuesday’s Lyon County Board meeting, county commissioners approved a total of 18 proposed bridge repair or replacement projects as high priorities over the next five years. The list of priorities includes a mix of bridges on township roads and county highways, as well as a bridge over the Redwood River in the city of Russell.

Out of the 18 bridge projects on the list, three were being proposed for construction in 2024. One project would affect a bridge crossing a stream on Lyon County Road 15. The other two would affect bridges on township roads.

VanMoer said the county is working on plans to replace a bridge on 340th Street in Nordland Township, which crosses over the south branch of the Yellow Medicine River; as well as a bridge on 150th Avenue in Shelburne Township, which crosses the Redwood River.

Both bridges are made of wood, and are about 55 to 60 years old, VanMoer said. At this point, the bridges were seeing weathering or decay of their timbers, as well as failing abutments, he said. The plan is to replace both bridges.

“These will be complete reconstructions,” VanMoer said. The timber bridges would be replaced with concrete structures.

The list of proposed bridge projects presented to county commissioners said total project cost for the bridge replacement on 340th Street would be $600,000, and the county would request $580,000 in township or state bridge funds for the project. The bridge replacement on 150th Avenue would cost $700,000, with the county requesting $680,000 in township or state bridge funds.

Looking ahead, the list of priority bridge projects proposed in 2025 included bridges on County Road 10, County Road 69, County Road 8, and a bridge on Park Road in the city of Russell.

County commissioners voted to pass a resolution requesting authorization for the bridge projects, and requesting financial assistance with grading and engineering costs on township bridges.