Iowa County approves road maintenance measures, authorizes 90-day embargo and several contracts

The Iowa County Board of Supervisors approved several road-maintenance measures and contracts during its regular meeting, including a resolution authorizing the county engineer to impose a 90-day embargo on selected secondary roads and approvals for patching and chip-seal work.

Supervisors passed Resolution 2025-3-14-A, which authorizes the county engineer to embargo secondary roads for a 90-day period when conditions warrant. "Usually, it's for now, it's just the chip seals," a supervisor said during discussion of the resolution. The board adopted the measure after a motion and second and a voice vote approving the resolution.

The board also approved the county's spring pavement patching contract with CF (Cedar Falls) Construction. The board discussed recent increases in concrete and construction costs compared with previous years; a supervisor noted a range of past bid prices and said the county previously budgeted about $60,000 for striping work. The board voted to award the spring patching work to Cedar Falls Construction after the bids were opened and discussed.

Supervisors approved a chip-seal project on G Avenue, a roughly three-mile stretch that serves lake access and has deteriorated following winter conditions. The supervisor who presented the item said the chip-seal quote for G Avenue is $166,000 and that the county plans to reallocate maintenance funds and, if needed, approve a budget amendment later in the year.

Board members also reviewed pavement-striping bids and noted an increase in paint costs compared with the prior year, when a low bid had been $21 per gallon. Officials said they had budgeted for striping costs and would move forward with the low-bid process while monitoring final prices.

Throughout the road agenda items, supervisors discussed operational details such as the county providing flagging for projects to reduce costs, the need for traffic control during patching and expectations for how long chip-seal surfaces typically last. "We need to do it," one supervisor said of the G Avenue project, citing safety and the road's accelerated deterioration.

The board’s actions follow routine spring maintenance planning: review of bids, awarding of patching contracts and authorization of temporary road embargoes to protect newly treated surfaces.

Votes at a glance: - Resolution 2025-3-14-A (authorize 90-day embargo on selected secondary roads by the county engineer): Motion made and seconded; approved by voice vote. - Spring pavement patching contract: Awarded to CF (Cedar Falls) Construction; motion made and seconded; approved by voice vote. - G Avenue chip-seal ($166,000): Motion made and seconded; approved by voice vote.

The board discussed potential budget amendments later this year if additional funds are needed and suggested staff coordinate traffic control options with contractors to reduce costs.