Franklin County highway administrator reports 2024 road and bridge work, staffing and maintenance figures

Jim Gretsch, Franklin County Highway Administrator, delivered the department’s annual status report for 2024 to the Franklin County Commission as submitted under Missouri Revised Statutes 61.091.

Gretsch reported that several bridge projects were completed in 2024, naming Little Indian Creek Road, Bridal (bridge), and Huff Road as replaced. He said Little Indian Creek Road and Lockhart Road bridges were in the process of being replaced at the time of the report and that all four bridges had been substandard and load limited. Gretsch said the department received a MoDOT cost share for those projects; the transcript records the figure as "$80.20" but does not specify units or whether the figure represents thousands of dollars, so the precise dollar amount and units are not specified in the meeting record.

Work completed or ongoing in 2024 that Gretsch listed included conversions of 15 roadways totaling 25 miles to hard surface and resurfacing of 13 roads also totaling 25 miles. Stormwater pipe and culvert replacements were ongoing in preparation for conversions and resurfacings. For maintenance, the department installed an estimated 9,000 tons of asphalt concrete and 15,000 tons of crushed limestone on various roadways, conducted mowing and right-of-way trimming (each county road trimmed three times per year with a full-width fall trim) and responded to approximately 80 after-hours emergency callouts (mostly for downed trees or limbs).

Gretsch reported the department workforce at 55 hourly employees as of Dec. 31, 2024, and noted the department was short two employees at the time of questioning; he said one hire would begin next Monday and another candidate with a Class A driver’s license was scheduled for an interview the following week. Daily office hours were listed as 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Gretsch said the department issued about 1,556 purchase orders in 2024 and that staff issued 50 access permits and 13 special use permits, which included initial and final inspections.

Gretsch said the highway department instituted annual employee evaluations for all staff, reviewed and approved by HR, to be conducted by each worker’s immediate supervisor with employee input and placed in personnel files. He also noted that two-sided water-depth signs were installed at low-water crossings and flood-prone areas and that the department provided trucking support for community cleanup events when approved by the commission.

During the report period commissioners asked clarifying questions about staffing and hiring; Gretsch replied that one new hire was starting soon and another interview was scheduled. The transcript contains no formal commission directive to change staffing policy or to withhold any reported items; the report was submitted as required and will be furnished to the Missouri Department of Transportation per the statute.

Ending Gretsch closed by submitting the report to the commission and confirming he would furnish the report to the Missouri Department of Transportation as required by statute.