Road projects planned for this summer

Several chip-and-seal projects are being planned for county roads this summer.

A list of proposed road projects and their projected costs were recently submitted to the Jackson County Commissioners by Eric Fritz and Earl Bahret, road and bridge department co-supervisors.

Two miles of E Road between 118th and 134th Roads (just north of Delia) and a quarter mile of 240th Road between P and P3 Roads (which leads to the back of Holton Community Hospital) are slated to be chip-and-sealed for the first time this summer, it was reported.

Fritz reminded commissioners that when a new road is chipped for this first time, three layers of rock and oil are put down. The following year, one layer is put down, and then a fifth layer is put down the third year. The county currently maintains 46 miles of chip-and-seal roads.

The cost of the rock and oil to chip-and-seal E Road this year is estimated at $116,275, and the cost to chip-and-seal 240th Road is expected at $14,891.25.

Funds from the county’s special .04 percent sales tax are expected to be used to cover the expense of these projects.

Additionally, sales tax funds will be used to put down one layer of chip-and-seal on S Road between 118th and 127th Roads ($14,891.25) and one layer on 214th Road between P4 and Q Roads ($7,439).

Two oil bids were submitted to the county and opened this morning during the regular commission meeting. The commissioners accepted the low bid of $1.90 per gallon submitted by Vance Brothers of Kansas City.

Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions of Kansas City bid $1.99 per gallon for chip-and-seal oil.

Fritz said that oil bids were sent out last week and that road project estimates could fluctuate depending on the prices submitted.

Five county chip-and-seal roads are also expected to receive another overlay of chip-and-seal this summer and those projects will be paid out of the county’s chip-and-seal/asphalt budget, which is $238,000. Roads expected to receive an additional chip-and-seal overlay this summer include:

* 254th Road between K and Q Roads ($99,275).

* 190th Road between Q and R Roads ($14,891.25).

* E Road between 94th and 118th Roads ($43,795).

* S Road between 118th Road and the city of Hoyt ($7,439.20).

* 94th Road between R and S Roads ($14,891.25).

The remainder of the chip-and-seal budget ($57,708.30) will be used to do asphalt patching on any of the county’s chip-and-seal roads that need repair.

In total, the two new roads, as well as the additional overlays to seven roads, is expected to utilize 4,824 tons of chip rock, 4,000 tons of one-and-a-quarter-inch rock and 122,200 gallons of oil.

Commissioner Bill Elmer expressed his concern with the condition of a portion of 254th Road located on the east side of U.S. Highway 75. The road was chip-and-sealed several years ago, but some of the edges are breaking off, Elmer said. The commissioners, Fritz and Bahret discussed options to fix this issue.

“Semi trucks are an issue that every county is fighting,” Fritz said. “There’s no magic pill for it.”

The commissioners agreed to view the proposed roads for chip-and-seal, as well as the portion of 254th Road that has raised some concern, before signing off on the summer road projects. 

The Holton Recorder

109 W. Fourth St.
Holton, KS 66436
Phone: 785-364-3141
 

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