Ashland County highway update: staffing, state projects and a federal riprap project face timeline and permit changes

Ashland County highway staff reported the department is fully staffed for the season and has hired summer help, and the county is advertising to fill a mechanic position approved by finance. Staff said candidate applications were received and interviews will begin if the position is finalized through executive committee approval.

On maintenance and construction, staff said crews have been crack-sealing and doing mastic work on Highway 13 south of Glidden and have been inspecting and replacing several culverts ahead of scheduled paving projects. County highway work includes County GG (milling and paving), and a mill-and-pave contractor (Northwoods) is expected to move in for part of the GG project next week. Staff reported County H riprap and erosion-control work is near final design and will be bid once specifications are complete; staff warned the bid may come in over the county’s planned contribution and that the project timeline is constrained by permit and federal requirements.

The committee was told the riprap project has $900,000 in federal funding and the county planned to add $200,000–$300,000 of county dollars in the project budget; staff said that estimate may prove low and the committee will likely need to decide whether to fund the full plan or reduce project scope. Staff said the riprap design initially included rock bars extending roughly 25 feet into the lake bed; that element was removed after fisheries authorities rejected it during permit review, requiring a redesign and re-submittal of permits. Staff said the project must be completed by June 2026 because of federal timelines tied to the funding.

Committee members and a public caller raised concerns about state work. A caller identified as Rich Huber urged county officials to pressure the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to commit more material to Highway 13 south of Glidden, saying patches and “truck holes” remain and residents should contact DOT directly. Staff and committee members agreed messaging to DOT and better signage were needed. On Highway 169, staff said the bridge over the Bad River had deck work last week and that detour signage to Copper Falls and other destinations had been poor, causing large vehicles to use narrow local streets; the county said it had pressed DOT to improve signage before holiday weekends.

Staff also briefed the committee on culvert inspections, mowing schedules (one to two passes per ditch, state roadside mowing constrained by DOT), and a county canoe landing permit that remains unresolved because of local association issues and zoning/permit conditions.

Budget context: staff noted the recently passed state budget included increases in the Routine Maintenance Agreement (RMA) statewide and an increase to general transportation aids (GTA). Staff said increases should help county maintenance funding but the exact local share is not yet determined and urged continuing annual paving and capital projects to preserve the county’s six-year spending average used to calculate GTA allocations.

Ending: The committee set a tentative next meeting for Aug. 18 to review a riprap bid if it is not ready for the Aug. 11 meeting and approved scheduling town outreach on the bridge-aid draft for Oct. 13.