Ron Hoskins and Jean Wagner told the Page County Board of Supervisors on a public-comment agenda item that heavy dust from rock trucks on J53 has created safety and health problems for people crossing the road and for residents near the route. They urged the county to resurface the road sooner than the year currently scheduled.

The comments came during public comment at the board's meeting. "It's a dangerous situation. It's not your normal gravel road," resident Ron Hoskins said, describing frequent rock-truck traffic that he said creates clouds of dust and makes it hard to see when pulling onto the road. Jean Wagner, another resident, told supervisors, "I think it needs to be paved," and said the road has been on county budgets for years but keeps getting pushed back.

The board asked Page County Engineer JD King to respond. King said the road is currently programmed in the county's five-year program for 2026. "Currently, it's on the 5 year program for 2026," King said. No motion to accelerate construction or to restrict truck traffic was taken at the meeting.

Why it matters: Residents say the dust affects visibility for equipment and passenger vehicles, and exacerbates medical problems; they urged the supervisors to consider temporary restrictions on large trucks or to reprioritize resurfacing. Board members and staff did not direct an immediate change in schedule during the meeting.

Supporting details: Speakers said the road has been torn up since 2019, in part related to wind‑farm construction, and that heavy trucks and farm equipment increase the hazard during harvest. One resident suggested an embargo on heavy trucks until the road is paved; that proposal was discussed but not approved. King said component deliveries for other projects have been winding down and that crews are engaged on other maintenance tasks but did not commit to changing the J53 timeline.

The board did not vote on any corrective action at the meeting; the resurfacing remains scheduled for 2026 according to the county engineer.

Local context: J53 runs east from Shambaugh in Buchanan Township. Residents said children and grandchildren have difficulty crossing the road because of dust and that lawn and yard dust levels are high. The county has previously included the road in capital plans but, according to speakers, resurfacing has been postponed in prior years.

What comes next: Residents said they will continue to press the board; county staff did not announce any new timeline changes during the session.