The new bridge one mile east of Great Bend on East Barton County Road has been completed and the road was re-opened on Oct. 2.

L&M Contractors, Inc., of Great Bend was the prime contractor for the project.  The construction and inspection work was 80% funded with federal money that passed through the Kansas Department of Transportation.  Barton County picked up the remaining 20% of those costs, and the County paid for all of the design work that was done by Kirkham Michael out of Ellsworth.

The multiple-barrel concrete box structure that was removed was suffering from stream erosion and settlement issues.