Darren Fischel, director of Road and Bridge, told the Saline County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 7 that his department deployed heavily during the recent winter storm and completed a range of maintenance projects in late 2024.

Fischel said the department sent 10 employees to a Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) supervision course as part of succession planning, trained one employee to obtain a commercial driver's license, and completed the fall dura patch program for pothole repairs. He described culvert replacements, ditch cleaning connected to a new Ag Seed business, and creation of a low-water crossing on Armstrong Road to restore property access after two load-restricted structures were removed.

Fischel reported that county sign crews replaced a 72-inch signpost, a county-wide striping project finished, and motor graders bladed 1,197.5 miles during the year. He said county haul trucks moved aggregate to 731 locations, 43 miles of Saline County roads were re-rocked and 154 miles were re-sanded. "We're working 12 hours a day right now," Fischel said of snow-response shifts; he said crews logged up to 15 hours on one day and that operations had to pause at times because blowing snow impaired visibility and required rescuing employees.

Commissioners thanked staff for the work. The board did not take action on the informational update; it was presented for review and situational awareness.