Bridge repairs look promising

By Melinda L. Lucas

A project that has been delayed several times in the last couple of years may actually be getting closer to a start time, according to a report at Monday’s Shackelford County commissioners meeting.

Commissioners Ace Reames and Lanham Martin met last week with Ramon Morales of Morales Concrete of Graham about his contract to repair the concrete under the CR 179 (Caldwell Lane) bridge.

After discussing a plan for county workers to help with dirt work and build a “road” to access the repair site, Morales agreed that he should be able to fulfill the contract that he signed in mid-August 2021.

Prior to that, a different contractor had not been able to finish the project, stretching out the efforts to get the bridge open to traffic again to about 2-1/2 years.

TxDOT bridge engineer Tracy Jones went with commissioners to the bridge on Jan. 26 to help  formulate a plan to complete the dirt work.

The commissioners plan to have their part of the project completed by the time the weather is warm enough for Morales to pour concrete.

Other Business

•Fees to board prisoners in the Shackelford County jail were raised to $75 per day for males and $125 for females, with a couple of other changes approved.

•Sheriff Ed Miller was authorized to apply for a grant for computers and body cameras.

The commissioners okayed a cost of $995 to replace the call button on the Courthouse elevator.

•A resolution was passed allowing a private landowner, Michael Gallaher, to donate material, equipment, and workmen to improve a portion of CR 122, raising the roadway and installing a new culvert that will better collect, but not divert water from other landowners, to a planned lake, according to Martin.

•The county-wide burn ban was reinstated.