TC Energy To Pay $3,344,000 For Jefferson County Road

By Gordon HopkinsAfter weeks of negotiations, an agreement has been reached between Jefferson County and TC Energy, the company formerly known as TransCanada, to replace the road between Steele City and the Kansas state line that was damaged by months of TC Energy trucks driving between Steele City and the oil spill site at Mill Creek in Kansas. Jefferson County Commissioners signed the contract on Tuesday, December 12, 2023.The road was severely damaged during the course of the oil spill cleanup, in which an estimated 100 trucks a day traversed the road between Steele City and Washington County, Kansas, for several months. TC Energy was using those trucks to transport oil-contaminated dirt from the Keystone Pipeline oil spill site in Kansas, which occurred in December of 2022, to a landfill in Douglas County, Nebraska. In addition, “clean” dirt was taken by truck from a TC Energy property in Steele City to the oil spill site for restoration.While the trucks are no longer running, the damage is done. The road is now pitted with potholes and littered with broken asphalt.The contract specifies a “maximum cost” of $3,334,802 for the construction, including $350,000 for the ‘engineering cost’, the total to be paid by TC Energy. Any costs over and above that will be paid by the county. Jefferson County will now solicit bids for the construction. Per the contract, the county must select its desired bid by January 23, 2024. TC Energy will pay the county within 30 days of the January 23 deadline.The contract states, “TC has coordinated with the Jefferson County Highway Superintendent to develop a plan and a list of needed repairs, improvements and replacement with respect to the following roads: a) An approximate 1.25 mile stretch of 576 Ave., between the State Line and Ida Ave., and b) An approximate 1.25 mile stretch of Ida Ave from the transition from 576 Ave. to village limits of Steele City, Nebraska.”TC Energy has already agreed to pay $3.27 million to overlay 14 miles of blacktop road up to the state line on Kansas side. While the amount to be paid to Jefferson County is $3.4 million for less than two miles of road, Jefferson County Commissioners explained the difference is that damage on the Nebraska side of the state lines was considerably greater than on the Kansas side. The Kansas road is receiving an overlay, while the Nebraska portion of the road requires significantly more repair.Commissioner Mark Schoenrock has previously said, “Our road was totally destroyed.”Representatives of TC Energy were present at the signing of the contract via Zoom. Schoenrock said, “And once again, now on behalf of Jefferson County, and more importantly, all of our citizens, we really deeply appreciate TC Energy stepping up to do this. We are partners in this process and we very much appreciate all of your efforts to bring this to fruition today.”

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