County roads staff updated supervisors on a gravel-road stabilization pilot and several upcoming resurfacing and maintenance projects, describing application methods, expected curing and water use, and follow-up maintenance plans.
The roads speaker said county crews are applying a dust-suppression product on the first mile of 150th Avenue/Highway 9. Crews mix the product with water, spray it from a tanker while scarifying and using maintainers, then roll and cure the surface. "By a day and a half, two days, it'll be like a hard surface to go away," the roads speaker said, adding that the pilot should significantly reduce dust and summer blading.
Staff discussed water demand and logistics: one figure cited was "12,000 gallons a mile" for some conditions, though the speaker noted actual use depends on moisture and material and could vary. The crew used a 4,000-gallon truck to refill during the pilot and considered borrowing farm water tanks or arranging faster fill points (hydrants) for future runs.
Upcoming work includes microsurfacing on County Road A38 (Leland to the church) possibly next week, milling and reclaiming on Rice Lake and 235th with a repaved parking lot at Rice Lake, and bridge- and culvert-related repairs later in the season. A localized emergency cover-replacement was estimated to cost in the low tens of thousands (labor and cover pipe both placed in similar ranges).
Supervisors raised erosion-control choices for narrow shoulders and ditches, weighing riprap against vegetated filter strips; staff cautioned riprap can complicate ditch cleaning and farm operations and recommended site-specific solutions. Staff asked to prioritize ditch and tile repairs before starting larger paving projects so older crews can focus on culverts and drainage once higher-priority paving begins.
The roads speaker said crews expected to begin full-scale paving and maintenance after the Fourth of July period and to prioritize work orders during the main construction season.