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Highway superintendent outlines chip‑seal, bridge and tanked‑asphalt plans; asks commissioners to consider county purchases
Summary
Todd Howe, highway superintendent, briefed commissioners on ongoing patching, upcoming chip‑and‑seal and HMA overlay work, possible county sales of liquid asphalt to Shelby County, quantities in county storage, federal‑aid bridge projects and plans to realign a hazardous 90‑degree bend with guardrail improvements.
Highway Superintendent Todd Howe updated commissioners on May 5 about ongoing maintenance, forthcoming chip‑and‑seal and HMA overlay work, inter‑county material sharing and a planned safety realignment at a hazardous corner on County Road 400.
Howe said crews remain engaged in everyday tasks — pothole patching, sign maintenance and patching — and that the 2024‑2 HMA overlay project is nearly complete. He reported the county has contacted FC Construction about starting the 2025 chip‑and‑seal project in June and said crews will wedge and overlay where needed to get correct road profile before chip sealing.
Howe said Shelby County asked to buy liquid asphalt from Decatur’s on‑site tank instead of traveling to an Annapolis supplier for small fills. The county stores a 6,000‑gallon tank and typically orders 2,000–2,500 gallons at a time; Howe reported about 3,500 gallons currently in inventory. He said Shelby’s truck tank holds roughly 300 gallons and that county staff believe occasional small fills for neighboring counties would not significantly affect Decatur’s operations.
Howe also reviewed federal‑aid bridge projects (Bridges 141 and 131). He said the letting date for Bridge 131 was moved from 2027 to 2028 because of constraints tied to historic‑bridge and other review processes, and he described quarterly reporting duties to INDOT/INB0T (federal aid oversight). He reported that project manager John Georgi and consultant representatives are engaged and quarterly meetings continue.
On local safety work, Howe described plans at a 90‑degree corner near Jackson Center Street where 400 turns left. After property‑owner meetings, the highway department plans to shift the road inward slightly, add a wider radius for semi‑traffic and install guardrail to reduce run‑off‑road severity. The project includes advanced signage and striping ahead of any realignment.
Howe asked commissioners to permit some flexibility to test materials and approaches (higher‑grade asphalt or cold‑mix options) on heavy‑traffic county routes; he said Jennings County’s cold‑mix resurfacing showed promising self‑healing characteristics but would require large material volumes.
Ending: Commissioners acknowledged maintenance and safety needs and asked staff to follow up on inter‑county asphalt sales and firm dates for the chip‑and‑seal contractor meeting.
