OSAGE COUNTY — Osage County roads and bridges sustained significant damage during last week’s heavy rain.

A bridge on CR 416 collapsed due to flash flood water, and will be closed for the foreseeable future. Western District Commissioner Dale Logan said during Tuesday’s meeting that he had already called the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) and was waiting for a return call, although commissioners believe the bridge is slightly too short to qualify for federal funding.

Citizens Dana Stuecken and Ed DeOrnellis attended the meeting to address the commissioners with their concerns, and to ask that signs stating, “ no through traffic” be installed at Rt. A.

“I just want to make sure you guys are aware of how important this bridge is to us,” Stuecken said. “Mainly because that’s our only way out when it floods. There’s 37 residents that are currently affected by that bridge being out. Five of those households are all 70-plus people. So, if it’s flooding and there’s an emergency, there’s no way to get to them. We have to have that bridge fixed. It’s very important. Like, it is literally the only way out.”

Stuecken, who works for Osage Ambulance District, said that bridge is also the most common route for emergency vehicles, many of which are driven by people who are not local and rely on GPS for directions.

“Several years ago, we had a fire,” DeOrnellis added. “I guess it was in 2010, or something. But most of the fire trucks that were there were responding from Westphalia and other places came that way. That’s how their maps told them to come to my house.”

“We’re on it. I promise you that,” Logan assured them, reiterating that he was waiting for a call back from MoDOT and planned to have more information at Thursday’s meeting.

“I understand,” Stuecken said. “Not many people realize how many people live down there and how much it does affect us. I just wanted to bring attention to it as soon as possible.”

Flood water also topped the Sestak slab on CR 521, washing significant debris against it and making the crossing impassable for part of the weekend.

“The guys spent Sunday afternoon — Justin, and I’m not sure who all he called in — moving equipment over to the Sestek slab,” said Logan. “It was a complete disaster. I went down there yesterday, and it’s still a mess. They got the bridge open where you can cross it. It’s rough yet on the ends, but they got it open where you can drive across it. But there’s a couple more days, at least, of tree removal and debris removal from above the slab or from above the bridge.”

“We did not respond as soon as possible, because Sunday morning, instead of going there, I went to worship,” Bridges told commissioners. “Saturday evening, when I was there, I checked it out and there was still water rushing across it pretty good. I wasn’t going to put equipment and people on it.”

“We’re not gonna get on that bridge when the water’s running like that and put people in danger,” Presiding Commissioner Darryl Griffin agreed.

Similar sentiments were expressed by the other commissioners.

Bridges said his people were still working on that area on Tuesday. Commissioners spent much of the meeting discussing options for continued work and mitigation for future events. However, Bridges said they are in the process of completing biennial bridge inspections with the state inspector, and recommended that commissioners wait until he had a chance to ask the inspector for a recommendation and revisit the issue during Thursday’s meeting.

A report provided by Treasurer Valerie Prater showed that the county has $58,507.50 left of the $102,966 paid by MoDOT when previous commissioners agreed to take over maintenance of the slab from the highway department. 

“These numbers are not realistic, in my opinion,” Logan said, of the amounts listed to have been spent clearing debris in previous years. “You’re six grand deep or more already. You know, when you start calculating hours and equipment. You’ve been there a day.”

Bridges agreed that the previous figures may only have included materials purchased, not time or equipment, and Logan asked him to be diligent in reporting all costs associated with maintenance of the slab going forward.

Bridges also reported a downed tree which took down a phone/internet line on CR 522, which the utility company said they had cleared.

“We lost the shoulder of a road on (CR) 715 along the creek down there,” Bridges added. “We have a crew down addressing that right now.”

Additionally, multiple agencies responded to a water rescue west of Belle on Friday evening after a tractor was swept away while attempting to cross moving flood water.

“Thanks to the swift coordination and teamwork of all agencies involved, the rescue was successful,” Osage Ambulance District EMS Chief Josh Krull posted on the district’s Facebook page. “This is a critical reminder: do not attempt to drive through moving water. It only takes a small amount of fast-moving water to sweep a vehicle away.”