Roads staff update: payroll-bridge work, DOT traffic and rising material costs

The county's roads representative (speaker 2) briefed supervisors on several maintenance and construction items. The deck on the payroll bridge is in place and crews expect to finish the project in the first week of September; if contractors overrun, liquidated damages apply per the contract terms, the staff member said. The DOT will have traffic on Highway 61 as part of work connected to a nearby intersection improvement; staff flagged a probable closure window in mid-August for painting and later intersection work this fall.

The roads update also noted significant material-price increases. The staff member said the stall (salt/rock) price the county typically paid rose from about $95 per ton two years ago to about $137 per ton now; officials said they plan to buy less and use materials more sparingly to manage the cost increase. The board acknowledged equipment purchases slated for fiscal 2027 and discussed signage and speed-limit transitions related to recent roadway redesignation.