Winnebago County plans summer road preservation program, targets 31 miles

Winnebago County road officials told supervisors the county will run multiple pavement-preservation projects this summer, including milling and hot-in-place recycling on five road segments and surface treatments aimed at extending pavement life.

Officials said contractors are scheduled to begin work in the second week of June and that five projects around the county are included: segments south of Buffalo on R 16, north of Buffalo on R 20, roads around Ray, a section near Osmond (R 50 and 830) and another segment south of A 16. Some projects will use federal dollars, county staff said.

For surface treatments, staff said the county will use two primary products: GSB 88 (a black fog/seal product used previously on a 50-mile project north of Highway 9) and a product referred to by staff as "requalite," described as a maltene-based sealer that restores flexibility to sun-baked asphalt. Officials said they selected specific products for candidate roads based on age and condition with a goal of using the most cost-effective preservation for each road segment. County staff estimated a total of 31 miles of preservation treatments and said the county budgeted $412,000 for those preservation tools; staff also said they hoped to add two miles of microsurfacing in a program that uses mobile units for smaller stretches.

Staff identified the two miles of microsurfacing as the stretch east of Winnebago Church and said they expected to finalize quotes and execute contracts in the coming week. The county also described work methods and constraints: the contractors will avoid rain and try to limit windy conditions during hot-in-place operations because wind can make heating the pavement less effective and raises the risk of burns or sparks starting fires.

Officials noted that microsurfacing equipment creates tight longitudinal joints by driving around and applying a three-product mix; Varner (named by staff as one contractor under consideration) was identified as a possible vendor for microsurfacing.

In addition to preservation work, staff said FEMA reimbursements for earlier emergency work are arriving and that builders risk insurance has been activated for an above-ground county building project. Staff said they expect a busy summer and that preservation activities should touch much of the county's road network.

County staff did not provide a formal vote on the preservation plan during the discussion; the presentation was informational and supervisors asked staff to proceed with soliciting and finalizing quotes as appropriate.