SAVANNAH, Mo. — Andrew County has the dollars necessary to keep employees rebuilding roads until inclement weather ends the work season.

“By all accounts last winter was the worst attack on roads since 1979,” said Greg Wall, the Eastern District commissioner.

Commissioners had an inkling that they were going to need plenty of dollars for roadwork back in January when they created this year’s $3.2 million road and bridge budget.

“We even added $100,000 just for spot rock,” said Dick Townsend, the Western District commissioner.

The commissioners’ office contains a constant road repair reminder that they can’t ignore.

They have a county map that shows all 647 miles of roads, said Larry Atkins, the presiding commissioner. Unless that road has been marked off in red, crews haven’t refurbished the road, Mr. Atkins said.

The amount of red showing on the map grew throughout the spring and summer. The bridge and road crew consists of 21 employees who operate the road graders, drive the trucks and do the other necessary duties.

One thing they haven’t been doing is building bridges.

The county has the design for a new bridge on County Road 13 to span Arapaho Creek, Mr. Atkins said.

A cut in state funding halted the construction project in 2007.

This year the loss of the Nodaway River bridge between Holt and Andrew counties on County Road 402 halted the other bridge’s construction, Mr. Atkins said. The bridge broke loose during a spring flood.

The good news is that both bridges will be built in 2009, Mr. Townsend said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will provide 75 percent of the funds for the 402 bridge and the state will provide 80 percent of the money for the Arapaho Creek bridge, Mr. Atkins said.

Construction on both bridges could start in the spring and be done by September 2009.

Marshall White can be contacted

at marshall@npgco.com.