Jefferson County outlines 2025 highway projects, targets roughly 120 culvert replacements

Jim Lawrence, Jefferson County highway superintendent, presented the county’s 2025 highway work program to the Legislature’s Highway/Public Works Committee, describing a mix of in‑house repairs and contractor work focused on culverts, bridges and county roads.

Lawrence told the committee the county manages roughly 536 miles of county roads and about 3,400 drainage culverts. “We got about 536 miles of county roads and 50% of them are in good condition, 40% are in fair condition, and we have 10% in poor condition,” Lawrence said. He said the department replaced about 65 culverts two years ago, nearly 90 last year and is “shooting for a 120 this year.”

The presentation, supported by assistant civil engineer Andy McCooch, included photos and methods the department uses to extend pipe life: replacement with smooth‑bore plastic, snap‑tight liners, UV‑cured liners and gunite/mesh spray repairs. Lawrence said some culverts are difficult because of deep fills or water that prevent excavation and require specialized linings.

Lawrence highlighted recent and planned projects across several towns, listing County Roads 59, 921, 69, 30, 53 and work near the airport and a GCID industrial park. He described larger bridge and culvert projects that required full replacement or boxed structures and cited contractor partners on past jobs. He identified five larger bridges where federal or state funding will be pursued and said the Evans Mills Bridge project is expected to cost roughly $5 million to $6 million and be a two‑year contract, with most costs expected to be covered by federal and state aid.

On costs, Lawrence said building a mile of road costs about $400,000 and that bringing a road from “fair” to “good” typically costs about half that amount. He described chip sealing and repaving cycles and noted supply‑side pressures from recent years: “we went out to bid in 2023 with all our materials and things like that, that everything increased on an average of 45%, sometimes up to 60%,” he said, describing how that affected past budgets.

Lawrence thanked the committee for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding that, he said, helped sustain work during recent price increases. He also discussed capital projects listed in the department’s plan for the year (guide rails and a set of seven capital projects) and a longer maintenance list the department intends to address in‑house. He named a handful of projects recently completed in‑house and with contractors and said the department is planning parking and sidewalk work at the Public Safety Building and a possible airport parking lot contingent on availability and scheduling.

Committee members asked for cost context and acknowledged the department’s progress over the last decade. Legislator comments noted the drop in poor‑condition mileage from earlier decades and thanked staff for using town crews and contractors to stretch funds. Lawrence credited highway crews, town partners and outside contractors for meeting the department’s replacement goals.

The presentation closed with Lawrence noting the size of the county’s network and infrastructure responsibilities and reiterating the department’s 2025 goals: focus on culvert replacements, several in‑house road rehabs and pursuit of state and federal funding for large bridge projects.