County Panel Backs $40,000 Share of Culvert Replacement on East 17th Road

Montgomery County Board Roads & Bridges Committee Meeting | June 3, 2026

Article Summary: The Montgomery County Board Roads & Bridges Committee on June 3 recommended approval of Resolution 2026-07, appropriating funds from the County Aid to Bridge Fund to pay one-half of an estimated $80,000 project to replace a culvert on East 17th Road in Irving Township. The design has changed since the resolution was first presented, moving from a double pipe culvert to a pre-cast box culvert.

Resolution 2026-07 Key Points:

• The project is estimated at $80,000, with Montgomery County responsible for half and the Irving Road District responsible for the other half.
• The county’s share would come from the County Aid to Bridge Fund.
• The design changed since the resolution was presented last month: a pre-cast box culvert will be used instead of a double pipe culvert.
• Motion by Chad Ruppert, seconded by Patty Whitworth; all in favor, motion carried. County Engineer Cody Greenwood will start the bidding process because the culvert purchase will exceed $30,000.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — A culvert replacement on East 17th Road in Irving Township returned to the Montgomery County Board Roads & Bridges Committee on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, with a different design than the one members saw a month earlier, and won a unanimous recommendation to split the estimated $80,000 cost evenly between the county and the local road district.

The committee met at 8:30 a.m. in the conference room at the County Highway Department, 11159 IL Route 185, Hillsboro. Members Ethan Murzynski, Patty Whitworth, Chad Ruppert, Keith Hancock and Rob Corso were present; Doug Donaldson was absent. No one spoke during public comments.

Members reviewed the resolution and an accompanying map for the 50/50 culvert replacement on East 17th Road. The cost of the project is estimated at $80,000, with Montgomery County responsible for half the cost — roughly $40,000 — and the Irving Road District responsible for the other half.

Ruppert moved to recommend approval of Resolution 2026-07 to appropriate funds from the County Aid to Bridge Fund to pay one-half of an estimated $80,000 project to replace the culvert on East 17th Road in Irving Township. Whitworth seconded. All were in favor and the motion carried.

A Design Change Since Last Month

The resolution itself is not new. It had been presented to the committee the previous month, and returned June 3 with a changed approach to the structure.

County Engineer Cody Greenwood explained the project would move forward with a pre-cast box culvert instead of a double pipe culvert. Committee Chair Ethan Murzynski noted that a double pipe can cause an uneven flow between the two pipes, and that this uneven flow can create a swirling effect, increasing the risk of erosion.

The minutes do not state whether the design change altered the $80,000 estimate, or whether the figure presented last month was the same. They do not record what prompted the switch, when the existing culvert was installed, its current condition, or whether the road has been affected.

Bidding Required

Greenwood noted that he will start the bidding process for the pre-cast box culvert, as its purchase will be over $30,000.

That threshold governs only the culvert purchase itself, according to the record; the minutes do not describe a bidding process for the remainder of the project, do not give a construction timeline, and do not indicate when bids would return to the committee.

A Recommendation, Not an Appropriation

The Roads & Bridges Committee does not appropriate money. The June 3 vote forwards Resolution 2026-07 to the full Montgomery County Board with a recommendation; no funds move from the County Aid to Bridge Fund unless and until the full board adopts the resolution.

The County Aid to Bridge Fund is the county’s mechanism for cost-sharing bridge and culvert work with township road districts, an arrangement the 50/50 structure of this project reflects. The minutes do not state the fund’s current balance or what other projects are drawing on it.

The culvert item was one of five before the committee, which also recommended approval of the Plains Solar road use agreement, reviewed a utility permit template, and heard that the Highway Department has restructured its front office after a resignation. The committee approved a motion to pay bills by Ruppert, seconded by Hancock, and adjourned at 9:00 a.m. on a motion by Ruppert, seconded by Whitworth. Minutes were submitted by acting secretary Mike Plunkett, as deputized by County Clerk and Recorder Sandy Leitheiser.