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Meade County reviews traffic counts, road maintenance plans and opens gravel-crushing bids
Summary
Highway staff presented updated traffic counts and a road maintenance outlook; commissioners heard plans for graveling and culvert work and opened bids from three contractors for crushing 60,000 tons of gravel.
Meade County highway staff presented updated traffic counts and maintenance plans May 27 and opened sealed bids for a county gravel-crushing contract expected to supply about 60,000 tons of aggregate.
Nathan Jagam, Meade County assistant highway superintendent, said the office is re-running counts on roads first surveyed in 2022 and noted that newer counters are now covering both ends of some roads, producing lower combined totals but more accurate full-length measurements. Jagam said crews currently haul "a lot of gravel every month, 5 to 10,000 tons of gravel," and described ongoing shaping, crown-building and repeated regrading after heavy rains.
Why it matters: commissioners said roads such as Peterson Road will need culvert replacement and comprehensive rebuilding before full graveling can occur; Jagam said the county plans culvert work this summer and hopes to gravel the road in the fall. The highway office emphasized patience as crews prioritize projects across 1,100 miles of county roads with a limited number of operators.
Bids opened: three sealed bids were read into the record for "crushing and stockpiling of gravel surfacing and aggregate" (60,000 tons). Nathan Jagam read the numbers aloud: Western Construction submitted $6.05/ton ($363,000 total); Rogers Construction submitted $5.69/ton ($341,400); 63 Industries submitted $6.65/ton ($399,000). Jagam said staff will review bid completeness, confirm landowner agreements and consult the state's attorney before recommending an award at a future meeting.
The commission also discussed gravel-hauling volumes: Jagam and commissioners noted the county hauled about 33,400 tons in April and that hauling numbers vary by season and road. Commissioners asked staff to coordinate future work on heavily trafficked Peterson Road, including culvert replacement and possible long-term alignment to serve growth in the area.
Next steps: highway staff will vet bids with the state's attorney and bring a recommended award to the commission; crews will continue graveling, shaping and culvert work as weather permits.
