County approves 2026 roadway treatment plan, reclaims $1.15M from delayed 15th Street bridge project

Dubois County officials on Monday approved the highway department's 2026 roadway treatment plan and a set of appropriations to pay for chip seal overlays, full‑depth patches, paving contracts and limited equipment replacement.

Levi, speaking for the highway department, told the council the plan targets about 72.55 miles of road this year across chip seal overlay, full‑depth patches, asphalt overlay and gravel‑to‑chip conversions. He described how the department prioritizes roads after assessing winter freeze‑thaw damage and recent bid pricing and asked the council to approve a package of appropriations drawn from restricted highway and local road funds.

The funding requests included materials and supplies for highway restricted funds (supplies $315,000; capital outlay $1,125,000) and local road and street items (stone $50,000; bituminous materials $650,000). Levi also requested $50,000 from the highway fund to replace a pickup truck with a failing transmission.

Council members asked several clarifying questions about right‑of‑way constraints for specific local requests and about the impact of recent state legislative changes that have reduced revenue available for some paving programs. Levi said one local road (a 760 East segment) cannot be widened or chip sealed now because an adjacent property owner will not sign required right‑of‑way and that legal and safety reasons prevent work without adequate ROW.

Separately, the council moved to de‑appropriate $1,150,000 that had been reserved for a 15th Street bridge extension with the City of Jasper. County staff said Jasper has deprioritized the project and no longer has it on the city's construction schedule. The council approved an appropriation‑reduction ordinance to return the funds to the county's bridge preservation pot so they can be used for preservation and maintenance work elsewhere.

The motions for the roadway appropriations and for the appropriation reduction passed by voice vote. The council recorded the de‑appropriation motion and instructed staff to reallocate the funds to the county bridge program.

What happens next: the highway department will move forward with procurement and contract awards for paving and chip seal work; staff said bid openings for multiple paving contracts were scheduled and the council will consider appropriations following those bid results.