Advertisement

County road projects

Error message

  • Warning: array_merge(): Expected parameter 1 to be an array, bool given in _simpleads_render_ajax_template() (line 133 of /home/pdccourier/www/www/sites/all/modules/simpleads/includes/simpleads.helper.inc).
  • Notice: Trying to get property 'settings' of non-object in _simpleads_adgroup_settings() (line 343 of /home/pdccourier/www/www/sites/all/modules/simpleads/includes/simpleads.helper.inc).
  • Warning: array_merge(): Expected parameter 1 to be an array, bool given in _simpleads_render_ajax_template() (line 157 of /home/pdccourier/www/www/sites/all/modules/simpleads/includes/simpleads.helper.inc).
  • Notice: Trying to access array offset on value of type null in include() (line 24 of /home/pdccourier/www/www/sites/all/modules/simpleads/templates/simpleads_ajax_call.tpl.php).

 

Several road projects planned in 

Crawford County for this summer

By Ted Pennekamp

 

With spring on the near horizon, motorists in Crawford County might like to know what they can expect regarding upcoming road construction projects. 

County Highway Commissioner Dennis Pelock said that the county will be widening the shoulders on County E for a three-mile stretch in Marietta Township. Widening the shoulders plus design work will be the start of the two-year project to make the stretch safer. Pelock said that there have been a lot of slide-off accidents in the three-mile stretch. He said that next year guard rails and a more abrasive surface will be added to the roadway to help keep vehicles from sliding off. 

The total cost of the project is estimated at a maximum of $605,000, of which $560,000 will be paid for by the federal High Risk Rural Road Program. Pelock said that the county will pay for an estimated $62,000 plus design costs estimated at $30,000. 

Two other projects this spring-summer will be to improve two bad intersections. Pelock said that County E will be lowered at the intersection of County E and Plainview Road in order to improve sight distance for motorists at the intersection. 

The intersection at County E and Pleasant Mound Road will also be improved for safety reasons. He said the county is waiting for estimates on these two projects. 

The shoulders along County D between Highway 35 and Highway 27 will also be widened this summer. Pelock noted that County D will be resurfaced within the next two years. 

Pelock has stated that 22 of the 146 bridges on the local system which are on county roads, and in towns, villages and the city of Prairie du Chien have weight restrictions and that number has been increasing annually. Of the 22 bridges, 10 are on county trunk roads and 12 are on town and village roads. 

On the local system, there are 17 deficient bridges in need of replacement. That number is expected to increase to 22 bridges by 2017. This does not include the 20-plus small bridges under 20 feet in length throughout the county on the local system that are in need of replacement. 

At the Feb. 17 County Board meeting, a proposal to replace four bridges failed by a vote of 12-4 with one county supervisor absent. Thirteen votes are needed in order for the proposal to pass. The proposal will likely be on the agenda for the April 21 County Board meeting. 

The Highway Department is asking for the county to borrow up to $425,000 for the four bridge replacement projects. 

“If this proposal does not pass, we will be limited in what we can do this summer,” said Pelock regarding the four bridge projects. 

Pelock said that the highest priority among the four bridges is the bridge on County C in the town of Freeman over a branch of Sugar Creek. There is no Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) funding for design or construction. The total cost is estimated at $194,000. 

The second priority bridge is on County S in the towns of Seneca and Haney over a branch of Halls Branch Creek. The bridge was damaged due to an accident. There is an estimated pending insurance claim of $182,082 that would be paid to the county. There is no DOT funding for this project. Factoring in the pending insurance claim, the total cost of the project is estimated at $294,848.

Another project is the bridge on County B in the town of Utica over Conway Valley Creek. The DOT will pay for 80 percent of the cost of construction. The county will pay 20 percent of the cost of construction along with the cost of design. The cost for design is estimated at $14,000 and the county’s share of the cost of construction is estimated at $99,900. 

The bridge on County C in the village of Soldiers Grove over Johnson Creek is estimated to cost $35,800 for design. The county would pay for the cost of design and 20 percent of the cost of construction. The DOT would pay for 80 percent of the cost of construction. The county’s share for construction is estimated at $88,920.

The Highway Department is requesting $175,000 for the bridge on County S and $250,000 for the other three projects combined.

Rate this article: 
No votes yet