Polk County public works reports large Davidson Road pothole; temporary 25 mph zone planned for Falls City Black Rock Road

Polk County Public Works Director Whitaker told the Polk County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 14 that crews applied a temporary patch to a large pothole on Davidson Road to avoid an emergency road closure.

Whitaker said the pothole is "pretty fairly large diameter. I think it's a 4 foot, something like that," and that crews performed a temporary repair while waiting for conditions to dry so a permanent replacement can be scheduled.

Whitaker also updated the board on the Falls City Black Rock Road project, saying county staff will "establish a temporary speed zone on the county portion of that road" after construction changed the road's character. He said the county plans to post 25 mph on the county segment and will conduct a formal speed investigation within 180 days after construction ends to determine the permanent posted speed.

The director said striping on the project has been delayed by weather and that contractors may switch from a waterborne paint to a solvent-based product allowed by the Federal Highway Administration to enable application in lower temperatures and higher humidity. "If they can switch that product, it can be applied in lower temperatures and higher humidity," Whitaker said, adding he was "pushing for it to be done this week because I think they may have a weather window."

Whitaker told commissioners the county resolved a fencing issue in the project right-of-way with a waiver of remonstrance signed by the property owner and filed "a week or two ago." He said the only remaining work was striping, which crews could complete if the contractor changes products ahead of a brief weather window.

During the discussion a commissioner asked whether the temporary speed zone would cover the entire paved area of the county portion and whether 25 mph was the intended posting; Whitaker confirmed it would cover the paved stretch and said 25 mph "seemed like a reasonable" posted speed for now, subject to the required speed study. He said the county generally relies on the 85th percentile for speed setting but may post lower speeds if accident history or roadside hazards warrant.

The board also recorded routine procedural approvals at the start of the meeting: the agenda and minutes from Jan. 7 were approved unanimously.

Whitaker closed his update by saying there were no current complaints about higher speeds since construction is ongoing and that construction signage is in place. "There was concerns, you know, prior to the project, by one of the residents out there that it would result in speeds that were too high," he said, noting those concerns were on the city side near the Bridge Street intersection.