County Gets $8.5M Toward Road Repair

By Gordon HopkinsJefferson County will be receiving $8.5 million toward the completion of the PWF (Pawnee City, Wymore, Fairbury) Road.County Commissioner Mark Schoenrock confirmed March 11, during a phone call with Congressman Adrian Smith’s office.This is just one of multiple road projects shortly to begin work in the county. Schoenrock told FJN, “Our goal will be to get out for bids yet this summer so we can take advantage of major construction projects already being executed for the Endicott and Steele City road projects, hopefully saving Jefferson County on the total PWF project cost. Hopefully that works out, but as it has been to get to this point, there are many hands in the process.”Total estimated cost for the PWF project is $12.8 million, leaving the county to fund the balance of $4.3 million.Schoenrock said, “We are coordinating with our bond issuer to begin exploring options. We have coordinated this morning with them, our county engineer and Nebraska Department of Transportation so we have all key players in the process coordinated.”The following day, Schoenrock said, “The county board does have the authority to issue the bond without a public vote.”Commissioners have been trying for years to obtain the funding needed to repair the road. An application for a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) grant, which was ultimately denied in 2022, explained the need, “Today, the seven-mile section of PWF Road encompassed by the project is made of asphalt, is full of potholes, and lacks guard rails. In the last 30 years, despite annual maintenance activities, PWF Road has fallen into a state of disrepair so great that it is unsafe for residents, employees, emergency first responders, and travelers. In poor weather, these conditions worsen and present an even greater safety risk. PWF Road is made of 30+ year old asphalt that varies in depth between five to 10 inches, much of which is patched with cement.”Schoenrock told FJN, “We will be working hard to get this moved along as quickly as possible, but for now, we have accomplished the major hurdle in getting the funding needed to accomplish this long-awaited project that will positively affect so many of our fellow citizens, not only in Jefferson County but also for a large region of southeast Nebraska.”

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