Weston County discusses state-selection route and easements for Old Highway 85

The board discussed options for formalizing or abandoning parts of what residents call Old Highway 85, including taking a "state-selection" route that would limit initial work to the state'maintained section rather than initiating the full county establishment process.

One commissioner said he had found correspondence with a previous county commissioner and suggested the board consider "doing a resolution to establish the state section" first and then approach affected landowners separately. That approach is attractive because a full establishment process for the entire corridor would involve many landowners'one speaker counted 33 if the county pursued full parity for the whole road.

Participants reviewed historical documents and earlier decisions that had left certain road sections without formal maintenance responsibilities. A legal-description issue on Kenwood Drive was cited as a reason a former county attorney had dropped or postponed earlier establishment efforts. Commissioners emphasized the need to check archives and prior commissioner minutes and to confirm easement language and City of Newcastle easements to critical infrastructure, such as a water tank that serves as an access point.

Members discussed whether a candidate section could be abandoned or simply maintained as an informal corridor, noting that abandonment and establishment follow similar procedural steps and that public access and easement rights (for example, the city's easement to the water tank) are central to any decision.

Next steps: commissioners asked staff to research legal descriptions and historical records and to return the matter with clearer documentation, easement language and recommendations for whether to proceed with a state-selection resolution or a full establishment/abandonment process.