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Highway commissioner reviews 2024 work, outlines 2025 projects and new camera and GPS systems
Summary
At a Sawyer County Public Works Committee meeting, the highway commissioner summarized 2024 accomplishments, described staffing and equipment changes, and outlined major paving, bridge and sign projects as well as expanded camera and GPS monitoring for winter operations.
The Sawyer County highway commissioner reported to the Public Works Committee on recent maintenance work, staffing and a slate of planned projects for 2025 and beyond.
The update covered accomplishments in 2024 and upcoming construction and maintenance work. “We have 24 employees, including myself as commissioner,” the highway commissioner said, describing the department’s three-shop structure in Hayward, Winter and Radisson and listing duties from summer paving to winter plowing. He said the county maintains 229 miles of county road and 162 miles of state highway and noted that State Highway 77 is the longest plow route in Wisconsin.
The commissioner outlined 2024 work that included crack sealing, mastic application, bridge repairs and multiple road paving projects. He described bridge and culvert inventories and said he had sent bridge inspection results to townships; he also said he will meet with the bridge inspector when funding becomes available to prioritize bridges “that are in dire need into the program.”
On equipment and staffing, the commissioner said the department hired nine full‑time employees after an earlier wave of retirements, implemented electronic timesheets through RTvision and created new job titles to better distribute supervision. New plow trucks are being outfitted and expected to arrive in June; a purchased scale will replace a borrowed unit used to calibrate trucks.
The commissioner said the department secured two loads of mastic and a load of crack seal using leftover RMA funds, purchased a scale, and completed multiple paving projects on county and state roads. He said sign replacement across multiple routes will include 793 signs and 186 posts scheduled in 2025.
Technology and monitoring were highlighted as operational improvements. The commissioner described “barn owl” cameras deployed to monitor road and weather conditions; the cameras can be set to take scheduled images or to trigger on motion. He also noted AVL/GPS telematics in trucks that support winter reimbursement reporting by showing plow locations, salt usage and activity timestamps.
Planned capital work identified for 2025–2028 includes multiple county road paving projects, bridge deck replacements, sign replacement, and a long‑range reconstruction project scheduled for 2027. The commissioner said goals include securing funding for an STP roundabout at County B and K, opening a new gravel pit and updating county pavement markings.
Committee members asked about camera placement and plate‑reading equipment associated with some cameras; the commissioner said some license‑plate reader requests came from LCO and the county is also installing cameras in a number of locations. Details on data use and access were discussed but not fully resolved during the meeting.
The commissioner closed by listing challenges including multiple shop locations, equipment storage, unpredictable weather and state/federal funding constraints. He said employee recruitment and retention at the highway department has improved and he described plans to prioritize projects as funding becomes available.
Looking ahead, the county will proceed with the listed projects as funding and scheduling allow; specific start dates and contract awards will depend on procurement and state coordination.
