The White Mills Bridge — Explained by the County Engineer - S2526E08

The historic White Mills Bridge is closed — so this month we put a face to the office that decides what happens next. Hardin County Engineer Mark Absher joins Phil Taul and recurring guest Brian Walker to talk about the 127-year-old bridge, the roughly 600 miles of county road, and all the work behind both.Mark walks us through the White Mills Bridge story: refurbished in 2012, it carried traffic for years until a routine state inspection a few weeks ago flagged it and ordered it closed. He explains what inspectors found, the plan to preserve rather than replace it, and where funding and next steps stand.From there we cover the job most residents never think about — what a county engineer actually does, why county road and bridge work needs a CIVIL engineer, how to tell whether your road is county, city, state, or private, why a new subdivision road isn't automatically taken into the county system, the difference between a bridge and a culvert (anything over 20 feet), how roads and bridges get graded and prioritized, why paving has a "season," and the drones and GIS mapping the office uses today.⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:0:00 - Introduction & How to Subscribe3:26 - Welcome & County Announcements7:26 - Meet Mark Absher, the County Engineer11:19 - What a County Engineer Does27:23 - The White Mills Bridge36:32 - How Roads & Bridges Get Prioritized41:12 - Technology: Drones & GIS44:05 - Closing: RAVE Alerts & Contact🔗 RESOURCES:Report a road issue (pothole, downed sign, drainage): TextMyGov, or call/email the Hardin County Road DepartmentSearchable county GIS map (whose road is it?): HardinCountyKY.gov → EngineeringRAVE Alerts (emergency notifications) + county staff directory: HardinCountyKY.govCounty jobs: HardinCountyKY.gov/jobs📱 CONNECT:Website: https://hardinlocal.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/HardinLocalInstagram: https://instagram.com/HardinLocalTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@HardinLocalSpotify (this episode): [paste Spotify episode URL]Apple Podcasts: Search "Hardin Local with Hardin County Government"Hardin Local with Hardin County Government is a monthly series connecting Hardin County, Kentucky residents directly with the departments and people who serve them. New episodes the first week of each month.#HardinLocal #WhiteMillsBridge #HardinCountyKY #CivilEngineering #LocalGovernment #Kentucky #countyroads