County bridge project adds $169k for power line moves

Bartholomew County Commissioners are spending just over $169,000 more than expected to replace two bridges. That comes after an unexpected bill to relocate power lines in the area.

County Engineer Danny Hollander said the county has been operating under the belief that the power lines near the bridges on County Road 400W were owned by Bartholomew County REMC, which said the lines were far enough off the road not to require moving.

However, as work on the project gets closer, it turned out the lines on one side of the road are owned by Hoosier Energy. And that company says their high-voltage lines would be too close to the new bridge. Hoosier Energy is charging the county $169,360 for the line relocation.

Commissioners said they had no choice but to pay the bill so the bridge projects can get underway and voted to approve the spending yesterday. The money will come from the county cumulative bridge fund.