Blue Earth County commissioners on Tuesday accepted a bid from a construction company to remove the damaged County Road 9 bridge next to the Rapidan Dam.

Public Works Director Ryan Thilges said the county received seven bids, all of them over the county’s estimate of $1 million.

The winning bidder was Hosier Worldwide, of Deer River, Minn., with a bid of $1.16 million. The bid is 14% over the estimate. The highest bid was 254% over estimates.

The other bids were S.M. Hentges & Son, $1.3 million (30% over); Carleton Cos., $1.8 million (84% over); Kraemer North America, $2.2 million (115% over); Redstone Construction, $2.7 million (171% over); Lunda Construction, $2.8 million (176% over); and ICON, $3.6 million (254% over).

Thilges said he and his staff have been working with the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration to secure funding for removing the old bridge and replacing it.

The bridge piers are failing because of erosion after heavy rains in June, which caused the Blue Earth River to bypass the dam, located just downstream from the bridge.

The development drew national and state attention as erosion claimed a home along the bank. It next threatened the homeowners’ iconic Dam Store, prompting the county to buy it and tear it down.

Commissioners have decided to replace the bridge but to remove the dam. The bridge, constructed in 1985, hasn’t been open since the June flooding.

Building a new bridge and removing the dam likely won’t start for years as the county goes through state and federal agency studies to secure funding for both projects.

The bridge doesn’t necessarily have high traffic loads but is an important bridge for farmers to move farm implements and crops.

The county will seek federal funding to cover much of the dam-removal cost. Staff was directed to work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, on options.