Renovations complete on Schoeman Road-Belvue Bridge

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Friday, June 26, to celebrate the newly renovated Schoeman Road-Belvue Bridge, which connects the counties of Pottawatomie and Wabaunsee.

The project first began more than 10 years ago, but the bridge had been a problem for the community long before then.

“From the time I first moved here, it was common knowledge the poor shape the Belvue bridge was in,” said Nancy Hier, Wabaunsee County commissioner.

After Wabaunsee County was denied multiple grants to fund the renovations, Commissioner Hier went to Kansas Senator Jerry Moran for help, and he was more than happy to lend a hand.

“I’m involved in it because I’ve been given an opportunity to represent Kansas, and one of the things we can do in this position is try to help local communities solve some of their local needs.”

Senator Moran says efforts on both the local and national levels helped make the project a success.

“It’s a joint effort, on behalf of two counties, the state of Kansas, and our efforts to get highway dollars from Washington, D.C. to Kansas.”

The now-renovated bridge makes transporting goods and people much easier, something crucial for the state of Kansas, according to Moran.

“We also rely upon a county system of roads and bridges that take care of folks who live in the county, and so Kansas is dependent upon our transportation,” said Senator Moran.

County officials say the bridge is much more than just a faster way to get across the Kansas River.

“It’s just gonna really improve the agriculture and commerce in this area, tenfold,” said Board of County Commissions Chairman Terry Force.

Both commissioners, Force and Senator Moran, agree that the decade-long hard work on the bridge has paid off.

“It is an example where, if you work at something, stay at it, and there’s cooperation and goodwill, good things happen,” Moran said.

The renovated Schoeman Road-Belvue Bridge is now open for public use.