BOISE Gov. Dirk Kempthorne this week announced that
a $96,410 Idaho Community Development Block Grant had been
awarded to Twin Falls County to make repairs to the Bliss
Bridge.
The bridge was closed in November after two underwater inspections
determined its foundation was unstable.
"The repair of the Bliss Bridge will allow the families
isolated by the closure to resume normal access to their properties
and provide for quick response time for fire and emergency
medical services," Kempthorne said in a news release.
In February, the boards of the Twin Falls and Bliss highway
districts voted to award a $216,349 contract, plus about $20,000
in engineer fees, to DBM Contractors of Federal Way, Wash.,
to repair the bridge.
In addition to the state grant, the project includes funding
from Twin Falls and Gooding counties, the Twin Falls and Bliss
highway districts and the Local Highway Technical Assistance
Council.
The target date to complete the project is May 15, Twin Falls
Highway District Director Dave Burgess has said.