Endicott Clay Road Project Contracts Signed
By Gordon Hopkins
On Tuesday, September 20, 2022, Jefferson County Commissioners signed a bid for the long-awaited Endicott Clay Road Project. They accepted the lowest bid, which came from Cedar Valley Paving LLC for $3,831,834.78.
The commissioners were thrilled to finally solidify the project, which is expected to begin in the spring of 2023. The starting time will depend on multiple factors, including weather. Terry Blas of the highway department noted, “Weather is always a big deal here.”
Commissioners also signed a construction oversight contract with Speece Lewis Engineers, estimated not to exceed $464,509.40.
The Endicott Clay Road project, which has been in the works since 2017, is intended to improve road service from the Endicott Clay Products brickyard to Highway 15. The road receives a lot of wear and tear due to trucks coming to and going from the brickyard. The county has decided it is more cost-efficient to construct a new, hard-surface road west of Endicott Clay, rather than repairing the existing road that runs east from Endicott Clay Products. Jefferson County Commissioners and the highway department considered repairing the existing road that runs east. However, the road is in a flood plain. In order to meet guidelines which would be required to obtain any federal or state funding, the road would have to be raised, along with all the bridges on the road. Commissioners have determined that this would likely be cost prohibitive. In the end, it was decided to create a new road to the west.
The project will be funded primarily by grants from the Department of Commerce and the Nebraska Department of Transportation. According to County Commissioner Mark Schoenrock, approximately 90 percent of the cost is covered by the grants, “It’s going to be roughly 10 percent which is incurred by Endicott (Clay Products) and the county. So, we get a major project done at very minimal cost to county taxpayers.”
