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County engineer outlines bridge projects, truck procurement delays and push for secondary road levy
Summary
The Story County engineer reported on scheduled overlays and three bridge projects, equipment delays that push truck deliveries years out, and legislative work to create a secondary road levy to improve transparency and funding for secondary roads.
Story County Engineer Darren (surname not specified in the meeting record) updated the Board of Supervisors on maintenance, construction projects and legislative issues during the April 8 meeting.
Maintenance: Spring thaw produced a few localized frost boils on gravel roads; crews are performing ditch cleaning and bridge repairs. Contract rock hauling is planned this month in the north‑central county.
Construction: The county has six projects scheduled for the year — two asphalt overlays, three bridges and one box culvert. The 150th Street (Skunk River) bridge was awarded to Herberger Construction; work is pending contractor scheduling and a required relocation that received DNR clearance but must adhere to a 90‑day construction start window. The county closed one bridge on 150th Street following biannual inspections and has started repairs; staff expect to know within weeks if the repairs will allow reopening.
Federal funding: The county is nearly finished on an SS4A safety action plan and anticipates applying for federal funds once the plan is complete. The county applied to the Competitive Highway Bridge Program (CHBP) for a bridge estimated at $700,000 (project cost may be lower as market prices decline); Story County’s bridge would be bundled with projects in other counties to secure better pricing.
Equipment procurement: Truck delivery timelines remain unpredictable. One dump truck ordered three years ago is expected this fiscal year; two others ordered about a year ago were pushed back 18–24 months because chassis availability improved and snow‑equipment fabricators are now the bottleneck. The engineer described an option to buy nearly new prefabricated trucks (model year 2022) available in Minnesota at higher cost (~$379,000 vs $325,000 new), which would include stainless steel bodies and integrated brine systems to pretreat roads; the board asked for more warranty and cost details if pursued.
Legislative issue: Darren noted proposed action tied to House File 718 and county concerns about meeting a 75% requirement. The discussed legislative solution is creating a separate secondary road levy (rather than transfers) so taxpayers would see a discrete road levy on tax bills; county engineers and ISAC are promoting the idea and plan to brief the county’s senator.
Other matters: Building repairs (radiant heating replacement estimated ~$33,000) and truck shed roof replacement were discussed; staff are evaluating in‑house metal roofing to reduce cost. City of Ames sewer projects outside city limits are nearing completion, and the county is working with the city on road stabilization where compaction did not meet specs.
Darren said the county remains fully staffed for inspections but will require careful scheduling if multiple bridges proceed concurrently.
