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Road‑stabilization costs rise; Road & Bridge asks for larger dust‑abatement budget to preserve roads
Summary
Staff recommended increasing the county's dust‑abatement (mag/road stabilization) allocation and said higher supplier prices and changing mixes mean not treating roads would likely raise long‑term reconstruction costs.
Bonner County Road & Bridge staff recommended June 5 increasing the county's dust‑abatement/road‑stabilization budget after vendors signaled price increases and staff ran cost projections.
Why it matters: Dust abatement products such as magnesium chloride ("mag") are applied to many unpaved and low-volume roads. Staff said those products preserve base material and reduce long‑term reconstruction costs; cutting the program now would reduce short‑term spending but likely increase future rebuild needs and maintenance costs.
Most important facts: Staff reported the current budget line for mag/dust abatement and said they had calculated a needed additional amount of $187,000 above the department's existing $150,000 line to maintain the same mileage next year. Staff noted supplier consolidations and a projected ~21–22% spot price increase from the supplier used this year.
Discussion and options: Staff proposed three near‑term steps: (1) budget the additional funds as a placeholder for next year so the department can treat the same mileage; (2) run small test strips of alternative products (for example enzyme‑based treatments) to assess durability and costs before making a wholesale change; and (3) continue to track MAG residual performance on treated roads to calibrate future applications.
What was not decided: Commissioners did not approve a final increase during this meeting. Staff said they will return with more data, including the vendor quotes and test‑strip results, before the board commits to a change in the permanent budget.
