AUBURN — It has been a long time since former District 4 Supervisor Eddie Brown secured ERBR funding to replace a bridge on Auburn Drive SW. The work is set to start on April 1st, also known as April Fools’ Day. 

District 4 Supervisor Eli Ferguson announced the news in a statement Tuesday. He said the bridge on Auburn between Gum Grove Road SW and Randolph Lane SW will be replaced and asked for residents to make plans for alternate routes. 

“I know it will be an inconvenience and will split the district in half but it needs to be done,” Ferguson said. “District 4 will be better once it is complete. We are going to do all we can but this is a state project not a county project. It is funded by the state.” 

Signs will likely go up Monday signaling the closure of the bridge. Ferguson said the project could take a few months but there is no for sure timeline for the bridge to be finished. He reminded people to find an alternate route and that thru trucks were not allowed on Gum Grove Road or Randolph Lane. 

Brown, who served as District 4 Supervisor for 16 years, retired before the work could start on the bridge. He said the project first started a couple of years ago when it received funding under the Emergency Road and Bridge Repair act. Lincoln County Engineer Ryan Holmes shared the news it received funding at a county board meeting on November 15, 2021. 

Under the ERBR act, Auburn Bridge between Gum Grove and Randloph roads received federal funds to be replaced. Brown said had those funds been state funds the project may have gotten started sooner. Instead, the Auburn Bridge project had several hoops to jump through and work did not officially start before Brown left office. 

“I’m really proud it is getting started. We needed it. It handles a lot of truck traffic, we needed that bridge project,” Brown said.”It will have concrete pilings instead of creosote and be in better shape. It will serve and be more dependable for the future. You don’t have to worry about the bridge once it is replaced, it will be a solid bridge.”