Clayton County Engineer goes over infrastructure projects

By Willis Patenaude | Times-Register

Clayton County Engineer Casey Stickfort recently shared an update on county bridge projects, road work plans and a pricey new soy-based asphalt.

Efforts continue after $100 million was invested last year to repair, rehab or replace Iowa’s aging bridge infrastructure. According to data from the National Bridge Inventory, Iowa leads the nation for bridges in poor condition at over 22 percent. 

Across the state, 4,304 bridges were structurally deficient in 2024, a decrease of nine over last year. Although a total of 268 bridges were repaired or replaced, 259 were added to the list, showing progress is slow and costly. 

In Clayton County alone, four bridges were added to the structurally deficient list from 2023 to 2024. That number rose from 21 to 25, and at the close of fiscal year 2024, 25 bridges remained on the list, according to the County Structurally Deficient Bridges Report. However, Stickfort’s own inspections completed toward the end of 2024 show the number of structurally deficient bridges was at 44.  

The importance of safe roads and bridges are always a priority for Stickfort. After learning the department’s funding remained relatively unchanged and was not impacted by any Trump Administration executive orders, it was on to the list of projects, encompassing completed, in progress and those upcoming. 

Stickfort first listed two culvert projects that were among those completed the previous year on Dogwood Avenue and Cedar Avenue, where the road width was increased, allowing for more traffic, such as farm equipment, and increased load capacity. 

Another project completed last year was on Golden Avenue north of Farmersburg, where sump drain tile was installed. This takes the moisture that might be under the road and pulls it into the tile, in an effort to take bumps out of the road, so your coffee doesn’t end up in your lap. As I learned during the interview, when Stickfort drives around the county, if a road spills his coffee, it likely ends up on the to-do list. It might sound funny, but there’s nothing comical about a hot cup of coffee in your lap. 

The now-concluded 300th Street bridge project was also discussed. Started in December 2024, it was a complete replacement project of a bridge originally built in 1910 that could not be rehabbed due to being a narrow structure with a sub base that was in poor condition, and it had a low weight rating. This project moved up the list of projects in the last few years based on bridge inspections done by Stickfort and Origin Design because of its poor conditions. 

The contracted project cost was roughly $375,000, which was paid for with federal funds. Work was done by Taylor Construction, who installed a new 68-foot pretensioned, preslabbed concrete beam bridge, expanding the bridge width from 16 to 30 feet. Now, it will carry all legal loads. 

The road was closed during the project, but Stickfort indicated there was minimal impact due to the bridge not being heavily trafficked by residents. 

The Coffee Road bridge south of Buena Vista was also on the list. The 16-foot wide, wood-surfaced bridge was in need of a replacement because both the sub and superstructure were in poor condition. Stickfort indicated the life expectancy of the bridge was about five years if left unchecked, making it a top priority for Clayton County. The project is estimated to cost around $343,000, with K Construction doing the work and federal funding covering the cost. 

This led to a discussion about how the county receives federal funding, which was a convoluted explanation involving acronyms, equations, bridge reports, state and federal reviews, criteria checklists and a flow chart of funds. To simplify it, if a bridge is rated as being in poor condition and meets the criteria, it will automatically be funded. 

The county was awarded $316,000 in Highway Bridge Program funding in fiscal year 2024 and has a current balance of $1.26 million, which remains unspent as a result of previous federal funding awards.  

The Coffee Road bridge project is expected to start in late July. When finished in late October, the bridge will have a new width of 30 feet with a 70-foot continuous concrete slab surface. The road will be closed, with some impact on school buses and local traffic expected, but Stickfort said local schools will be notified. 

Among the other upcoming 13 programmed projects—which involves everything from projects in the queue, those being planned and those in the bid letting process—is the Ivory Road bridge project near the fairgrounds. Stickfort is trying to clear this bridge off the deficiency list this year along with Coffee Road. 

The current bridge on Ivory Road is 18 feet wide with a sub and superstructure in poor condition with deteriorated concrete, coupled with a short life expectancy. It requires a total replacement. When completed, it will be the same style bridge as Coffee Road and a similar 70-foot length. It will also go to legal roads, and the alignment will be improved, making it safer on what is currently a sharp curve. The estimated cost of the project is around $282,000, funded through local option sales tax. Work by K Construction is anticipated to start in September and be completed by November. 

Next, Stickfort discussed a new soy-based asphalt, which will be used for larger projects, like the paving project on Golden Avenue and Pleasant Ridge Road.

Clayton County received a Department of Housing and Urban Development grant two years ago, with Stickfort crediting Rep. Ashley Hinson for helping the county secure $1.9 million in funding for the soy-based additives in asphalt project. Stickfort said the idea behind using soy as a “rejuvenator” is to both lower the cost and make asphalt, which is one of the most recycled products in America, a longer lasting product. The soy additive helps “restore the original properties to the asphalt,” creating a renewable resource.  

According to a peer-reviewed study published in Fuel Volume 355 in January 2024, the “use of chemically active soybean-derived rejuvenators can change the composition of the asphalt, making it more durable while reducing carbon emissions.” 

One of the article’s authors, Eric Cochran, Ph.D., of Iowa State University, stated, “Additives like SESO (sub-epoxidized soybean oil) have the unique ability to penetrate the asphalt, restructure its components and improve its properties, which ultimately enhances the performance of road surfaces.”

The article cited a real world paving project in Indiana where “SESO produced a high-performance pavement using 40 percent recycled asphalt compared to the typical 20 to 25 percent, resulting in better road performance and a reduction in energy use and emissions.” 

Up to this point, however, SESOs have only been used in Iowa in test sections. Stickfort, who has read the reports and came away a believer, said it should lower the cost of asphalt in the long term, as well as reduce cracks. 

In Clayton County, the first two sections of road that will be paved with this new asphalt will be 14.7 miles between sections of Golden Avenue and Pleasant Ridge Road. 

The project will involve milling the road, patching it and then paving it with the new asphalt at a cost of $4.4 million. Outside the $1.9 million aforementioned grant funding, the remaining cost will be covered by a grant received from the Highway Safety Improvement Program and farm-to-market funds. 

The paving project is expected to start in early June and run through October, and road sections will be turned into one-lane roads until the project is complete. 

Also on the upcoming agenda are bridges on Fox Avenue, by Littleport, and Glacier Road, northeast of Edgewood, along with the other 35-plus bridges currently on Stickfort’s list. All will take time and money, while going through a government process, but Stickfort remains resolute in his determination to make the bridges safe and prevent any more coffee from being spilled.