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Hardin County road department reports heavy storm response, bridge and drainage projects
Summary
Road Department Director Dwight Morgan told the Fiscal Court the department handled two major winter storms, completed several bridge and drainage projects, and began a chip-seal pilot; department work included a $73,741 drainage tile replacement and an in-house bridge deck replacement finished for about $116,000.
The Hardin County Road Department summarized its November–December work, storm response and several capital projects during the Fiscal Court meeting on Jan. 14.
Road Department Director Dwight Morgan said crews handled two major winter storms, put 14 trucks into service during the second storm and cleared 560 miles of county roads in a single day. He credited staff and volunteers for extended hours and said crew members sometimes worked double shifts; he reported no major equipment losses during the events.
Morgan reviewed project work completed in late 2024: a private-contractor bridge replacement on Needham Road with an approximate contracted cost of $394,000; a drainage repair on Claudie Avenue that required replacing deteriorated tile and reshaping the ditch (reported project cost $73,741.24); and an in-house bridge deck replacement on Middle Creek Road finished for approximately $116,000, which Morgan said was less than a contractor estimate of $180,000 because county employees performed the work.
The department recorded resurfacing and chip-seal work: nearly 33 miles of asphalt resurfacing at roughly $2.5 million total; a chip-seal pilot on about 4 miles with a listed chip-seal cost of $35,543.12 per mile and a total chip-seal line item of $34,000 reported elsewhere in the presentation. Morgan also reported $628,000 for resurfacing certain roads and listed other per-project costs shown to the court.
Morgan highlighted operational details: the detention center continued to supply inmate labor on Mondays and Tuesdays, the county’s trimming and tree crews remained active, and the road sign program replaced faded signs. He said the road department’s headcount was about 18–19 employees, noting that the workforce is aging and staffing levels are below historical maximums.
Magistrates and the judge executive praised road crews’ on-the-ground performance during the storms; several magistrates said riding with crews was instructive for understanding obstacles such as parked cars, narrow roads and livestock on thoroughfares. The court noted upcoming public works committee meetings to discuss route efficiency and crew safety.
The Road Department presentation included photos and line-item figures shown to the court; several figures cited during the meeting (mileage, per-mile costs and total project costs) were drawn from department slides shown to magistrates during the presentation.
