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Linn County commissioners approve $12,100 culvert patch and direct staff to draft signs resolution as road crews prep chip-and-seal season
Summary
Roads staff reported pothole and culvert repairs, asked for neighborhood safety signs and chip-and-seal planning; commissioners approved $12,100 to patch a culvert on 1077/900 and asked staff to return with a resolution to place four "children at play" signs and four school-bus warning signs.
Jesse Walton, operations director for the Linn County Road Department, told the Board of County Commissioners that crews opened the year with 89 service requests, 70 completed and 19 still open, and that crews were preparing for chip-and-seal season while responding to routine pothole and ditching work.
Walton described specific recent work: replacing a damaged entrance culvert on 1600 in Ingram, clearing crossroad culverts and placing ditch liner on 300 Road and Reed, and other routine maintenance. He also said the department received a citizen request to place a “children at play” sign on Gorman Road because of increased traffic near a house where small children live.
"When I was down there, I sat down there for about an hour," Walton said of his site visit. "Of course, it was 10:00 in the morning when I was down there. So there's not a lot of traffic at 10:00 in the morning. I'll tell you that. But I I don't know if we need a traffic study on. I can look into that."
Commissioners asked staff to check availability and cost; Walton said the shop would likely order four signs at once to hold spares. Commissioner Hightower noted bus-stop locations at Tanglewood Gates and said the county uses resolutions for warning signs. The board directed staff to work with the clerk to prepare a resolution and to return next week with a proposal for "4 bus stop signs and 4 children at play signs," with distances to be set according to policy.
Bridges and culverts were a second focus. Walton and Todd Mueller of the Asphalt Division described three bridge or culvert problem sites on County Road 1700 and elsewhere. Mueller recommended flowable fill and localized milling on a bridge near Evangeline where he observed a void under the abutment; he also recommended an engineer inspect an embankment erosion problem at the Ilethon 1700 bridge.
Commissioner (not specified) moved to proceed with patching the culvert on 1077 at 900, with a cost estimate of $12,100; another commissioner seconded the motion. The motion carried on a voice vote; those present responded “aye.” In discussion, Mueller said the culvert patch would require milling and resurfacing to ensure compaction over the repaired span.
Walton told commissioners the county is assembling chip-and-seal priorities and cost estimates for roughly 15–17 miles of road planned for this season, estimating approximately $25,000 per mile as a planning number until vendor quotes are firm. He said a new asphalt plant nearby in Fulton should provide a local supply at an estimated $90 per ton once it opens.
Commissioners asked staff to email full cost estimates for the other bridge locations and directed that the engineer on call inspect the more extensive bridge erosion near ILIF. Walton said he would return with a prioritized list and budget impact for 2025 bridge work.
Ending notes: commissioners agreed to return the signage resolution and bridge cost details at the next meeting so formal motions could be placed on the agenda.
