Montezuma County details spring road work plan, warns of higher mag chloride costs and outlines pit inventories

Montezuma County road department staff presented a 90-day spring work plan on April 7 outlining winter cleanup, shouldering, crack sealing and preparation for chip sealing while warning that higher mag chloride prices will reduce this year’s treated mileage.

The schedule covers April through June and will focus first on winter blading and shouldering paved roads slated for chip seal this fall, staff said. Work will include purchase of aggregate mix from Utah, crack sealing as temperatures rise, and a phased mag chloride application beginning in early May in Dolores, Mancos and Cortez before moving into other districts.

“Magging is not just spraying mag. It’s a lot of work to put mag on,” said Rob (Road Department staff). “You gotta cut deep, lay it back down, compact it, water it, soak it. Then you finally get to do the easy part and that’s spray the mag.” Staff warned that mag chloride prices rose compared with last year and said the department had filled its tanks at last year’s price but will reduce planned mileage because of higher costs.

The department identified about 94.45 miles targeted for spring/summer treatment across county-maintained and private roads, including roughly 24.5 miles in the Cortez district and roughly 7.87 miles paid for by Kinder Morgan. Staff said the county’s total planned mileage will be cut by about eight miles this year because of the price increase.

Staff also reviewed inventory and stockpile quantities at county pits. The county keeps materials at Ormiston, Haycamp, Mancos, Tozer and Beaver Rim for class 5 and class 4 base, 1/2-inch and 3/4-inch chips, crusher fines and drain rock used for French drains and shoulder work.

“Some of our long edge of our shoulders, we’ll put in French drains and different things with it,” Rob said, describing how drain rock is used to keep water out from under roads.

Staff said mowing will begin in late June, and that chip seal bids and paving are expected in late summer or early fall depending on contractor schedules and CDOT timing. Bechtel Engineering is preparing design work tied to a separate intersection project; staff outlined a preliminary design review in early April followed by final design, permitting and a bid period later in the year.

Separately, staff told the board that Emory Telecom contractors will begin fiber-optic installation in the Lewis community this spring and that three contractors are expected to start in April, bringing concentrated work to the Lewis area through the summer.

No formal action was taken. The board recessed and later moved to an executive session on unrelated land-use legal matters.