Road and Bridge outlines escarpment paving, centerline rumble-strip work and short closures; residents raise noise and delay concerns

Ty Barger, road and bridge superintendent, updated the Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 5 about pavement preservation and safety work on the county escarpment and surrounding roads. Barger said asphalt patching was underway and mastic repairs would continue; the department plans to grind a centerline rumble strip into the escarpment road on Aug. 28 and to apply fog seal and pavement markings on Sept. 9.

Barger described operational details and closures: two planned complete closures of the escarpment road (Aug. 28 and Sept. 9, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.) to allow rumble-strip grinding and striping, lane closures during other mastic and patching work, and traffic control plans with mailed notices to the 25 households on the escarpment and advertising in local papers. He asked for commissioners’ assistance in public outreach.

Several commissioners and attendees raised concerns about the rumble strip. One commissioner asked whether the board had discussed rumble strips before and expressed worry about noise for nearby residences and whether the rumble depth could be limited to reduce sound. “It looks like we have at least 50 address structures within 600 feet of County Road 1… I’m just wondering, do we need to rumble? How deep are we rumbling?” the commissioner said. Barger said the rumble strip machine vendor training was underway and recommended proceeding as scheduled; he noted the county now owns a rumble-strip grinder and intends to proceed with the plan.

A commissioner and other drivers reported delay experiences during recent pilot-car traffic controls, saying travel times exceeded the advertised five- to ten-minute delays and that drivers lost sight of the pilot car—one said waits approached 20 minutes on two mornings. Barger said he would investigate reports of longer delays and check pilot-car coordination and cone placement; he also explained materials and mastic techniques used for durable patching at high‑use locations.

Barger also covered other road work: fuel-equipment procurement (award intended for Ridgeway yard this season, with decommissioning of an old fuel point next year), construction-management procurement for the Corbett Creek flood project and plans to regrade gravel buildup segments this fall. The board asked staff to continue outreach and to consider timing to minimize school-commute impacts near the scheduled closures.

No formal policy change was adopted at the meeting; Barger’s schedule and work plans were presented to the board for awareness and logistical coordination.