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Highway superintendent details road network, flood repairs and a federal Safe Streets grant
Summary
Highway Superintendent Terry summarized Lincoln County’s road network, staffing and equipment, reported completion of FEMA flood repairs from 2024, described a $125,000 Safe Streets for All planning project (with $100,000 grant), and outlined major multi‑year projects including a Lenox roundabout in design.
Lincoln County Highway Superintendent Terry briefed the Board of Commissioners on March 11 about the department’s staffing, equipment, road network and upcoming projects, and provided updates on flood-related repairs and federal grant work.
Terry said the county maintains just under 325 miles of roads (about 285 paved and about 45 gravel) and about 60 structures (bridges, box culverts and large pipe). The highway department has about 20 full-time staff and roughly 41 pieces of major equipment. He said aging equipment and rising costs for vehicles and parts are growing challenges for the department.
Terry described a federal planning grant the county received through the Safe Streets for All program: project costs are about $125,000 with a $100,000 federal grant to develop a county road safety plan. "This plan will be complete in early 2026," he said, and added the county will use the plan to compete for future federal safety dollars.
He reported that repair work from the 2024 flooding is substantially complete for FEMA-funded sites, and that most Emergency Relief (ER) work on federal aid routes is progressing; seven ER sites are complete, and two remain pending mitigation work. The superintendent said the county expects continued ER work in 2026, including mitigation at a Lake Alvin Road overtopping site where new structures will be considered.
Terry reviewed multi-year capital needs from the 2019 master transportation plan and said projects identified by the plan total more than $150 million (county staff noted municipal and township responsibilities reduce that total). He also outlined near-term projects for 2025–26, including full-depth reclamation, microsurfacing, mill-and-overlay work and bridge work. The Lenox roundabout project (Highway 17) is in final design with a planned bid late in the fall for a 2026 construction year; designs include truck-friendly geometry and dedicated merge lanes.
Terry emphasized workforce and office-space constraints: the department has struggled to recruit a qualified project engineer and said shop/office space and a replacement county vehicle are capital needs.
The board took no formal action; staff will bring funding requests and specific construction contracts forward as separate agenda items.
