County road embargo details in the works

Published by admin on Wed, 04/24/2019 - 9:52am
Board of Supervisors
By: 
Kim Brooks
Express Editor

The details regarding a countywide Secondary Road embargo are still being ironed out.

Assistant Engineer Todd Postel presented the Jones County Supervisors with a draft 90-day blanket embargo resolution during the March 19 board meeting. However, the board chose not to approve the policy until a couple of changes were made.

Those changes include an expiration date concerning the embargo and a special provision for livestock and dairy operations.

Postel said the resolution is meant to “prohibit and impose restrictions on certain roads.

“They simply closed the roads in the past,” he said.

However, Secondary Roads is not planning to close any roads, but possibly impose load/weight limits.

“It gives us some meat, but hopefully we won’t need it,” Postel said of the policy. “Things are getting better and continue to get better.”

The resolution would establish a 10-ton load limit on gravel roads throughout the county as the Engineer’s Office sees fit.

“We won’t embargo roads unless we’re in dire straits,” said Postel.

Postel said to help maintain the longevity of the gravel roads, he urged people to haul their heavy truckloads in the morning while the ground is still frozen versus throughout the day.

While the resolution would exist until the board of supervisors voted to dissolve it, the board felt it needed an annual expiration date attached to it.

“By doing it annually, it gets out to the public,” said Supervisor Wayne Manternach.

“If not, then public

awareness goes away,” added Supervisor Joe Oswald.

Supervisor Ned Rohwedder said he was simply not in favor of any road embargo because it infringes on the feed and livestock operations throughout the county.

“I would be in favor if it was just grain (hauling),” said Rohwedder. “With grain, you have more flexibility.”

Postel said they are

keeping those operations in mind and don’t plan to force them to stop working.

“When we need to embargo, we’ll look at who’s on the road, what’s going on, a case-by-case situation,” Postel explained. “We won’t shut someone’s livelihood down.”

Bernie Trumm who lives on Doe Road near Cascade was present to ask about the embargo. Trumm proposed

tiling the gravel roads to help with the moisture building up. Postel said that technique is something they’ve done in the past, but have also developed additional, cost-effective measures to protect the roads.

“With frost boils, rock won’t help,” said Trumm. “Tiling would be good.”

Postel said the critical issue now is having a place for the water to go to get it off the roads.

 

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