The Hall County Board of Supervisors is confronting the issue after several years of putting it on the back burner. The cost will be in the neighborhood of $570,000 to take care of 19 bridges.

Long before the disastrous Minneapolis bridge collapse, the county was aware of the severely deteriorating conditions of many of the county's bridges. The state finally stepped in and ordered weight restrictions on 39 bridges in Hall County and flagged another 30 bridges as being in need of repair or replacement.

With precious dollars for bridge repair and paving projects in short supply, it is important to spread the money out to take care of as many projects as possible. If a bridge is out of service, it makes the road practically worthless. The resulting detours create waste and frustration. The worst case would see an injury accident as the result of poor bridge conditions. The bridges need to be fixed.

The decision to focus on the bridges means the paving budget will be much smaller this year. Once again the paving of South Locust into Doniphan near the Hall County/Adams County line will not happen. This has been postponed for five years and needs to be resolved soon. The safety concerns for Doniphan/Trumbull school students traveling to school should put this project at the head of the list next year. The issue has been delayed too long.