County outlines 2026 highway preservation plan, including cape seals, micro surfacing and bridge work

County Highway Department staff presented a preliminary program for 2026 that prioritizes pavement preservation (cape seals and micro surfacing), shoulder widening for bicycle safety and several bridge and culvert projects.

Staff said the proposed preservation work would include cape seals on County Highway 3 (US 52 to Bridal), County Highway 9 (US 52 to US 34) and County Highway 66 (Illinois 23 to County Highway 15). For County Highway 9, staff recommended adding a micro surfacing layer to reduce "chatter" in an earlier seal coat. "Micro is basically 3 sixteenth of an inch thick slurry seal," the staff member said, explaining micro surfacing is part of the cape-seal process and that the slurry sets up quickly.

For County Highway 34 staff proposed beginning preliminary engineering and right-of-way work to widen the roadway and add four-foot shoulders to provide space for bicyclists. "We're gonna do a resurfacing and get it widened to have 4 foot shoulders put on it," the staff member said, adding that the work would protect vulnerable road users and would take time because of sensitive areas along the corridor: "It's probably at least 3 years out from now before we can think about taking a project to a letting." The staff member said the project will not re-align the road but will redo slopes and ditches where needed to fit four-foot shoulders.

Bridge and culvert work highlighted included a county-line bridge replacement over Big Bridal Creek (a joint project with Lee County), a deck rehabilitation using a latex-modified overlay on an existing structure to extend life rather than a full replacement, and a replacement at the lock-and-dam on County Highway 34. The staff member said latex-modified overlays have performed well and "should last us another 20 to 30 years" in many cases, delaying an otherwise much larger bridge replacement.

Staff also described one structure near the marina that is underwater at the deck level and cannot be inspected; the department is limiting traffic to legal loads only. "We're telling legal loads only over it," the staff member said, and added that dewatering and evaluation to determine condition would likely cost roughly $50,000 to $70,000. Staff said they would proceed with preliminary engineering and submit state and federal grant applications (the staff member referenced HSFP funds and other grant splits in the budget notes) to support the 2026 program.

No final project authorizations or contract lettings were made at the meeting; staff said they would prepare engineering reports and grant applications, and return with design and funding plans. The staff member said a draft budget based on these assumptions would be available this month for board review.