County road crew: Paving of County 20 to begin; culvert repairs and airport work advancing

Winnebago County roads staff told the Board of Supervisors that a paving crew will begin surface-lift paving on County Road 20 the morning after the meeting and that work is expected to take four to five days, one lane at a time with pilot cars.

“Tomorrow morning, first thing, they'll start from the north end at the Minnesota line and work their way south,” Scott said. He added the paving is a two-inch surface lift, followed by striping, rumble strip panels and shoulder work performed by county crews.

Staff also reported work at the Osmus airport site is nearing completion of dirt work: fill hauling is done, topsoil is being smoothed and remaining culvert extensions and replacements are being finished. “So far, they've been able to work around OSMIS operations really nicely,” Scott said.

Elsewhere, a culvert repair on County Road 838 near the Worth County line required pressure-injecting grout after crews found voids around the pipe. Scott described the repair technique in detail: drilling 10-foot holes, installing short steel pipes and pressure-injecting grout to create reinforced columns around the culvert joints.

Roads staff said they have increased routine culvert inspection ahead of paving projects after recent repairs surfaced while doing internal inspections. The board also discussed signage and traffic-control plans to minimize hazards during the paving operation.

Why it matters: the paving project will temporarily slow traffic on a county arterial; supervisors asked staff to ensure advance warning signs and flaggers to reduce incidents. County staff said delays are expected but traffic will be maintained with pilot cars.