Wright County engineer briefs supervisors on roads, culverts and paving progress

Wright County Engineer Adam Clemens briefed the Board of Supervisors on secondary roads operations, construction progress and equipment updates during the board's meeting.

Clemens reported that crews completed blade work (level 3 blading), graded gravel routes and completed mowing on paved routes before Labor Day. He said crews completed 12 work orders and reported progress on hauling objectives and top-dressing gravel routes.

On construction projects, Clemens said a contractor has not returned to one job because they lack a replacement crew; Clemens said the county is charging days and expects roughly four more weeks of work on that contract once the contractor returns. At Taylor Avenue the contractor had driven piling and would begin encasements or additional piling work; another site requires replacing a deteriorated bridge structure with a 114-inch culvert, a job expected to take about three days.

Clemens said a large culvert purchase was previously delayed and that county crews will install a round pipe. He also provided an update that Hancock paving milling is mostly complete, with intersections and work around railroad tracks pending coordination with the railroad and the Iowa Department of Transportation. HMA mainline paving was expected to start the following week.

Supervisors did not record substantive debate or public comment on the road updates; Clemens said the county is monitoring contractors and harvest-season timing in scheduling.