Safety issues may close 190th Road years ago
Erosion of 190th Road between Marion and Hillsboro may cause the county to repair, remove, or just close the road.
Marion County Road Foreman John Summerville told Marion County Commission during Monday's meeting that there are no grant funds available at this time to help offset costs associated with redirecting the Cottonwood River or relocating the former highway.
Summerville said he found documentation that the county had an opportunity seven years ago to accept grant money to repair the road but chose not to do the project because the grant did not pay for it 100 percent, it paid 80 percent leaving 20 percent for the county to cover.
What was a minor repair seven years ago now has become a major headache for county officials.
Constant erosion from water flowing under the road has caused the road to become nearly unsafe. Not only does the road have to be repaired and the water redirected, all of the work and plans have to go through numerous governmental agencies because of the changes that will occur downstream.
"Basically we have to move the river or close the road," commission chairman Randy Dallke said.
The former U.S.-56 that connects Marion and Hillsboro is highly traveled and is a main access road for farmers.
Other road issues that have officials concerned are three miles on Nighthawk and a bridge that needs immediate repair.
Dallke said if Nighthawk repairs are not made this fall, there will be more problems in the spring.
Public works director Martin Rhodes said the problem areas on Nighthawk can be dug out and repaired with rock for the time being. Summerville said it would be a matter of prioritizing what projects are done.
"There are about 100 miles of roads that need to be dug out and rocked," Summerville said. "We don't have the budget or manpower to properly maintain all of the county roads," he said. "We can continue as we've been doing by putting Band-Aids on them."
In 2006 the county overlaid 19 miles of roads. This year there were 13-14 miles, Dallke said, which aren't near enough to meet the county's five-year plan.
Rhodes asked what it would cost for the county to hire a contractor to do chip sealing. He said he had noticed employees having to take breaks while the oil tanker truck reloads with oil. The suggestion also was made in pricing the cost to lease another oil tanker truck.
Commission Dan Holub said road and bridge personnel had looked into contracting rock haulers and found it to be cost prohibitive.
In other department business:
— John Daniels was hired as an equipment operator I.
— Rhodes and Summerville met with road grader operators. It was decided that the motorgraders will be inspected by county shop personnel instead of by the operators. Holub suggested having a county mechanic go to the motorgraders.
— To reduce fuel consumption by 25 percent, Rhodes suggested the motorgraders be parked one time a week and drivers perform other duties.
— The road and bridge department is going to a work order system for road maintenance or service request.
Rhodes and Summerville met with supervisors and asked for a list of priorities.
— Victory Road, which was created during the construction of U.S.-77, will be vacated.
Summerville asked the commission to consider the option of vacating the road because it is not useful and does not connect to other roads. A farmer has stacked hay on the road.
County clerk Carol Maggard was instructed to begin the process to vacate the road.
