County/City Bridge Replacement Priority Lists
Rules in Chapters 8810 and 8820 require resolutions from the County Board or City Council prioritizing bridges for replacement, major rehabilitation, or replacement and authorizing the MnDOT Commissioner to release funds from either the Town Bridge Account or the State Transportation Fund (state bridge funds). County board resolutions should include all priorities bridges owned by the county, townships, and non-state aid municipalities. State Aid maintains a statewide list of such bridges. This list is referred to as the “master bridge replacement priority list.”
Excerpts of relevant clauses from State Aid Rules are shown below:
| 8810.8200 | Subpart 1. Counties. The county board in cooperation with other local units of government within the county, other than urban municipalities, shall determine a proposed program for the construction or reconstruction of key bridges within the county other than urban municipal or trunk highway bridges. This county board by resolution shall request of the commissioner authorization to construct or reconstruct specific bridges or remove an abandoned bridge within the county and request funding. Subp. 2. Urban Municipalities. The city council by resolution shall request of the commissioner authorization to construct or reconstruct specific bridges or remove an abandoned bridge within the municipality and request funding. |
| 8820.2900 | Subp. 2a. Eligibility; town bridges. A town bridge is eligible for replacement, reconstruction, or abandonment after the county board reviews the pertinent data supplied by local citizenry, local units of government, the regional development commission, or the metropolitan council, and adopts a formal resolution identifying the town bridge or bridges to be replaced or reconstructed. |
State Statutes require a resolution for special uses of the town bridge account. For ease of administration, it is suggested that the bridge replacement priority resolution that establishes the prioritized list also grants the county engineer the authority to request funds. Such language is included in the sample resolution below. If it does not, a separate resolution is required.
| MS 161.082 | Subd. 2a (e) When bridge approach construction work exceeds $10,000 in costs, or when the county engineer determines that the cost of the replacement culverts alone will not exceed $20,000, or engineering costs exceed $10,000, the town shall be eligible for financial assistance from the town bridge account. Financial assistance shall be requested by resolution of the county board. |
Resolutions for placing bridges on the bridge replacement priority list should include:
- Old bridge number
- Road number and name (example: CSAH 10/Main St)
- Crossing (example: over Willow River)
- Local bridge planning index (LPI)
- Total cost of the bridge project
- Township or state bridge funds being requested
- Federal funds already programmed
- Local or state aid funds
- Proposed construction year
Additional notes:
- The cost estimates on the resolution are used for planning purposes and do not restrict the agency to a particular amount or construction year.
- Bridge replacement priority resolutions should include a comprehensive list of all priority bridge replacements – not just those that have been added since the previous resolution (minus those that have already been replaced).
- Email updated resolutions to Jerilyn Swenson at jerilyn.swenson@state.mn.us and the appropriate District State Aid Engineer.