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Elbert County commissioners approve $708,000 estimate to rebuild County Road 125
Summary
After discussion of unexpected culvert failures and available material at the county gravel pit, the Board of County Commissioners approved an unbudgeted rebuild request for County Road 125 (9 Mile) and authorized spending to continue the project.
Elbert County commissioners approved an unbudgeted rebuild request for County Road 125 (the “9 Mile” road between Simla and Highway 86), after public works staff said culvert failures and additional drainage work raised the project cost to roughly $708,000.
Public works director Monty Hanks told the board the project had been moved forward from the county’s capital improvement plan after 2023 flooding and that a locally available structural material in the county gravel pit made a rebuild feasible this year. “We thought the project was gonna cost about 300,000,” Hanks said, “but then upon the culvert inspections … this is going to go to roughly $708,000 total cost.”
Hanks explained the road is the primary link between the town of Simla and Highway 86 and carries about 500 vehicle trips per day. He said the rebuild will “be built structurally to be of the width, crown, slopes, shoulder slopes, ditching” so it could be topped with asphalt in the future with minimal additional dirt work. Hanks also said the current topping material — a gravel/recycled asphalt mix — forms a hard, long-lasting crust similar to asphalt.
Hanks said funding for the increased cost would be split between Road and Bridge Fund 20 (for equipment, labor and some material) and Road and Bridge Fund 25 (for larger culverts and capital items); he did not specify the exact dollar split. Board members asked whether approving the unbudgeted money would endanger fund balances; Hanks and finance staff said it would remain within budget parameters and the ending fund balance for Fund 25 remained strong.
Commissioners raised whether work already begun could be stopped if the board declined the additional funds. Hanks said crews had reached a practical stopping point and that the first mile out of Simla served as a clean pause point if needed.
The board voted to approve the request to proceed as presented. No recorded roll-call tally was read into the record beyond the chair’s announcement that the motion carried.
The board’s action authorizes county staff to continue the rebuild at the $708,000 estimate and to charge the work to the Road and Bridge funds as described by Hanks. The county did not adopt a policy or ordinance as part of this vote; it was an appropriation decision on this specific project.
