Road & Bridge warns of steep material and striping cost increases; seeks capital to finish equipment program and key reconstructions
May 21, 2026 | Kerr County, Texas
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Road & Bridge staff reviewed multiple line-item changes and capital needs for FY2026–27, telling commissioners that market and fuel-price shifts have pushed up material costs and created unusually high quotes for striping and guardrail repairs.
Officials said coal-mix and aggregate increases are driven by trucking and petroleum‑based prices and that striping — where the contractor uses thermoplastic with reflective beads — now runs about $2.40 per foot for a single line (roughly $4.80 per foot for a double yellow). For long sections like Elm Pass the quoted costs produce very large per‑mile figures, and staff said they will solicit competitive quotes to try to keep single‑project totals under formal bid thresholds.
"We're ballparking this thing at five bucks a foot because you're doubling up on two stripes," the presenter said, illustrating how center-line striping costs escalate on long rural roads; commissioners discussed phasing to spread costs across years.
Road & Bridge also proposed reinstating $650,000 for the Cave/Canyon Springs full reconstruction project (substructure replacement), noting at that level the county might cover roughly two miles depending on width. The department warned that parking‑lot and facility surfacing are at a tipping point: incremental patching becomes far more expensive once full reconstruction is required.
After July floods, staff flagged four locations where guardrail and impact-head replacements are needed, and said some FEMA reimbursements covered only a portion of costs; valley‑site guardrail upgrades and replacement impact heads can be expensive (the presenter cited roughly $3,800 per impact head). The department also described ongoing FEMA-related work (Fall Branch Bridge late DI) where staff hope a late Damage Inventory will be accepted and thus partially reimbursed.
On equipment, staff said the county's multi‑year capital replacement program will conclude this cycle and produce savings in repairs going forward but will require continued capital planning as leased supervisor trucks come due. Commissioners asked staff to return with finalized bids, grant status updates and clearer line‑item transfers for items that depended on other offices' processing (auditor, engineering).
Officials said coal-mix and aggregate increases are driven by trucking and petroleum‑based prices and that striping — where the contractor uses thermoplastic with reflective beads — now runs about $2.40 per foot for a single line (roughly $4.80 per foot for a double yellow). For long sections like Elm Pass the quoted costs produce very large per‑mile figures, and staff said they will solicit competitive quotes to try to keep single‑project totals under formal bid thresholds.
"We're ballparking this thing at five bucks a foot because you're doubling up on two stripes," the presenter said, illustrating how center-line striping costs escalate on long rural roads; commissioners discussed phasing to spread costs across years.
Road & Bridge also proposed reinstating $650,000 for the Cave/Canyon Springs full reconstruction project (substructure replacement), noting at that level the county might cover roughly two miles depending on width. The department warned that parking‑lot and facility surfacing are at a tipping point: incremental patching becomes far more expensive once full reconstruction is required.
After July floods, staff flagged four locations where guardrail and impact-head replacements are needed, and said some FEMA reimbursements covered only a portion of costs; valley‑site guardrail upgrades and replacement impact heads can be expensive (the presenter cited roughly $3,800 per impact head). The department also described ongoing FEMA-related work (Fall Branch Bridge late DI) where staff hope a late Damage Inventory will be accepted and thus partially reimbursed.
On equipment, staff said the county's multi‑year capital replacement program will conclude this cycle and produce savings in repairs going forward but will require continued capital planning as leased supervisor trucks come due. Commissioners asked staff to return with finalized bids, grant status updates and clearer line‑item transfers for items that depended on other offices' processing (auditor, engineering).
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