PWF Road Bridge Work Set to Begin in November

JEFFERSON COUNTY — Long-awaited improvements on a critical transportation route in southeast Nebraska are finally moving forward, as Jefferson County officials approved a construction bid for the PWF Road bridge — allowing work to begin as soon as early November.

The repair marks the first significant step in a comprehensive plan to upgrade the entire stretch of PWF Road, a heavily used connector route linking Jefferson and Gage counties through Pawnee, Wymore and Fairbury. Commuters, students, farmers and emergency vehicles rely on the roadway daily, and years of wear have increasingly threatened the bridge’s safety and reliability.

Earlier this month, the Jefferson County board of commissioners and the highway department reviewed eight bids from construction firms based in Nebraska and Iowa. The competing proposals aimed to take on the reconstruction of the aging bridge, which has been identified as a priority due to its condition and importance to local traffic flow.

State officials, including representatives from NDOT and Olsson, conducted inspections in March. Their findings allowed this bridge contract to be separated and accelerated ahead of the broader roadway overhaul since federal funding is tied to the project.

County highway superintendent Tim Farmer noted that his team had projected the cost at around $981,000 based on past bid trends.

“That’s what we figured the cost would be bid by a contractor, our best guess based on historical bids,” Farmer said. “Bids submitted are what it would cost the county to build. That’s what they will charge to get this done.”

Thanks to NDOT’s County Bridge Match Program, $500,000 of that expense will be covered, reducing the local financial burden. Jefferson County has received grant support from that program 11 times — a major factor driving commissioners to publicly advocate for extending statewide funding.

Farmer’s engineering partner Speece Lewis evaluated each company on price, projected start date, completion schedule and qualifications.

“I’ll verify all the math first, and then generally, if the contractor is reputable – which all of these contractors were – and have shown they can do this project, we’ll base our recommendation off the low bid,” Farmer said. “The county’s not in the business to spend more than what they need to to get a job like that done.”

Ultimately, the county selected JJK Construction of Ceresco in Lancaster County. Their adjusted bid came in at roughly $885,000 — the lowest among all submissions — and included the earliest proposed start date, potentially next week.

Assistant highway supervisor Terry Blas also noted JJK’s familiarity with the structure and confirmed that the federal funding involved has not been jeopardized by the ongoing government shutdown.

“Ironically, the lowest bid is also the one that said they can start the fastest – so everything’s lining up,” Farmer said.
“That’s why they’re the lowest bid, because they need the work,” commissioner Michael Dux said.
“They’re hungry for work and to start,” Farmer agreed.

With the board approving the contract unanimously, crews are preparing to mobilize. The work on this bridge signals the beginning of a long-awaited rehabilitation of the entire PWF Road.

“This is the beginning of the restoration of the PWF Road, starting on this bridge. This is the beginning of the project,” board chairman Mark Schoenrock said. “Tim and I serve on the NDOT project management team for the rest of the road, and we are working as diligently as we can to have that process go as quickly as we can. Right now we are projected to open bids next summer, the summer of 2026, on the actual road. Right now we don’t see any significant roadblocks for us to get to bid-letting for the rest of the road.”

The decision comes nearly 11 months after officials first determined the bridge needed structural improvements at the end of 2024. Now, with funding secured and a contractor ready to begin, community members may soon see visible progress — not just on the bridge, but as the starting point for years of investment in safer, more dependable travel along the PWF Road.

Originally reported by Timothy Hackett in News Channel Nebraska.