A file photo from construction on the Route 422 bridge over Benbrook Rd. in Butler Twp. taken in 2011, the year Kevin Gray took over the program to upgrade the county's bridges.

The county commissioners at their Wednesday meeting praised Kevin Gray of the county's planning department for his work to upgrade bridges in the county.

The county contains 134 bridges of all sizes, Gray said, and 40 of them were deemed structurally insufficient when he took over the program in 2011.

When repairs on the two bridges approved on Wednesday are finished, there will only be 25 more bridges on the upgrade list, Gray said.

In five years, Gray said, fewer than 20 will need repaired or replaced.

Commissioner Kim Geyer noted Gray's methods in having the bridges repaired or replaced.

"Through that process, you've saved our county taxpayers a lot of money and encouraged collaboration with a lot of counties," Geyer said. "We appreciate that."

She pointed out that an upgraded bridge's lifespan is more than 50 years. Gray said they can last 100 years in some cases before needing repairs.

"That's a great investment in our county," Geyer said.

The two bridge repairs approved by the commissioners on Wednesday are the Wylie Road Bridge in Clinton Township and the Brickyard Hill Bridge in Mars.

This is a breaking news article — a full article will appear in the Butler Eagle.