Jefferson County's highway superintendent updated commissioners July 18 on recent maintenance, equipment procurement and a road closure situation on gravel Highway 1360.

He said crews performed shoulder repairs, culvert installation and ditching, and credited the sheriff's department for temporarily closing Shirts Hollow so the county could make emergency shoulder repairs. The superintendent discussed competitive quotes for a new oil-distributor chassis and two emulsion-tank options (3,000- and 3,500-gallon), explaining the larger tank carried an additional cost of roughly $7,000,000 for about 580 extra gallons of capacity and argued the larger capacity could prevent operational problems such as stale emulsion.

He said the chassis lead time was about six to eight weeks and that outfitting could take six months to a year; he recommended buying the chassis separately and paying an extra $10,000 to have it outfitted to save on an additional $25,000 dealer premium. The superintendent said he and Scott County colleagues plan a training day to operate a new chip-box spreader and that the counties will test calibrations and put trucks through on-road exercises.

On Highway 1360, a single-lane gravel route with a 14-ton bridge, the superintendent said the county had installed barricades and signage and was documenting damage caused by diverted traffic from a nearby state closure; he reported receiving complaints and one alleged incident involving a semi and said the county intends to enforce weight limits and pursue towing or ticketing when possible. He said a concrete barricade will be painted orange to improve visibility once weather permits.

Next steps: superintendent and county staff will finalize purchase decisions for the chassis and tank, schedule the Scott County training day and continue to monitor and enforce weight limits and barricades on Highway 1360.