Linn County outlines 5‑year road and bridge plan, prioritizes bridge replacements and sealcoat program

Linn County officials presented the county’s five‑year construction plan and the 2025 maintenance program for secondary roads during the Board of Supervisors meeting on Feb. 26 at the Jean Oxley Public Service Center.

The plan, presented by Garrett Redish, assistant engineer, details data the department uses to set priorities and lists projects the county expects to build in the next five years. Redish said the county has 256 bridges, 16 of which are currently rated in poor condition, and that the department’s KPI goal is to keep poor bridges below 5 percent. "So first off, why I'm here is it's actually required by the code that we present our 5 year construction plan to you," Redish said. He also summarized the department mission: "make good roads with good people."

Why it matters: The presentation sets which bridges and road segments the county expects to replace or repair and explains how those choices affect traffic, farm and commercial haulers, and emergency access. Redish and staff described data, funding sources and maintenance practices the county uses to keep its paved network in good condition and to improve the rock road system.

Most important details

- Bridges and inspections: Redish said each bridge is inspected at least every two years and that inspectors rate the superstructure, substructure and deck on a 0–10 scale. A score of 4 or less is considered poor. The county currently has 16 poor bridges; Redish said those bridges are on the five‑year plan for replacement. He compared county figures to statewide data presented during the meeting (county bridge statewide average: 23% poor; all Iowa bridges including state DOT assets: 19% poor).

- Highlighted projects for 2025: Maxwell Park Road Bridge over the Wapsipinaw (Wapsipin River) is scheduled for letting in June with construction likely late summer or fall; Redish described it as a full replacement of a steel superstructure and deck that received a rating of 4. The one‑lane truss on Rosedale Road is slated for replacement to allow legal loads and two‑lane traffic; Redish estimated the cost for that replacement at about $1.2 million. Burlingham Road’s truss (about 125 years old) is also on this year’s list and was estimated at roughly $1.1–$1.2 million. A longer span (referred to in the presentation as “Mattsle/Mattsel” in the transcript) had an estimated cost around $2.2 million because of a longer span and larger water crossing.

- Paving and sealcoat work: The county plans to pave about 33 miles and perform culvert and grading work on about 13 miles in 2025. Work called out by Redish includes Paris Road (will remain sealcoat) and upgrades to Irish Lane and Jordan’s Grove to move from rock to sealcoat after regrading and new culverts. The sealcoat system covers roughly 100 miles; Redish said a typical sealcoat lifespan is about five years, so the county aims to spray about 20 miles annually to maintain the network.

- Pavement condition and data tools: The county’s pavement condition index (PCI) averaged 76.5 at the time of the presentation (81 is considered excellent). The department uses DOT‑contracted van surveys every two years, RoadAI smartphone runs for local annual data capture, and an “intelligent compaction” roller program to evaluate rock road quality. Redish said the county maps that data in GIS to prioritize work.

- Funding: Redish listed five main funding sources for contract projects: local and LOST funds, farm‑to‑market (FM) funds, and two federal pots (the Highway Bridge Program and RPA). He said local and LOST funds are most flexible; he noted the county also applies for grants and recently received several. For a roundabout at Covington Road and Ellis (project in cooperation with Cedar Rapids), the presentation identified a $500,000 grant (described in the meeting as a T‑sub grant); the county and Cedar Rapids would each pay roughly one‑third of the remaining cost.

- Maintenance and operations: Jared Kelly, operations superintendent, summarized maintenance staffing and year‑round operations. The secondary road department has 68 employees; the engineer’s office has 14. Kelly described winter snow‑plowing logs and spring maintenance cycles (grading, spot rock, rock overlays) and said the department runs its own sealcoat program using roughly 10 people per project season to cover the county’s sealcoat miles. Kelly emphasized use of tablets, GIS layers, AVL/“track the plow,” and other digital tools to coordinate crews and to document work.

- Driveway/crossing policy and cost sharing: Brad Kettles, Linn County engineer, described the county’s access/entrance policy. He said property owners are responsible for the material cost of culverts when an entrance is built or upgraded; county crews will perform the installation, dirt work and seeding. Cost‑sharing between the county and property owners is used when an entrance is addressed as part of a county road project; the county’s access policy documents the program and when it applies.

Public comment and next steps

Resident Becky Shoop of Walker urged the board to reconsider sealcoating Alice Road and said she had shown the road during a board road tour; the board and staff committed to follow up. Redish and Kelly said maps, project schedules and the five‑year list are available on request; staff offered to send maps showing bridge locations and the five‑year project map to supervisors.

Ending

The presentation closed with staff offering to supply additional maps and a note that the department posts annual road and bridge summary reports on the county website. County staff emphasized they will continue applying for grants and using condition data to guide investments.