Committee approves resurfacing projects, equipment purchases and culvert replacements; engineer flags $500,000 turn‑lane estimate

The McLean County Land Use & Transportation Committee on March 3 approved several highway and equipment items, including a resurfacing project, the purchase of two dump bodies and hydraulics, a replacement flatbed truck with a truck‑mounted attenuator, and joint culvert replacement petitions for Lawndale and White Oak townships. All motions passed on voice votes, recorded in the transcript as unanimous.

County Engineer Jerry Stokes told the committee the resurfacing project uses cold in‑place recycling with about a 2.5‑inch hot mix overlay and covers the corridor from the east side of Leroy to Sabina Road (the route was described as commonly called Leroy School Road). Jerry estimated that resurfacing segment at roughly 5.5 miles and said the work continues a prior town project using a slightly different process.

On equipment, Jerry explained that ordering dump bodies, hoists and hydraulics from Monroe Equipment now (for delivery in 12–15 months) keeps the county on schedule for 2027 truck builds; he said costs increased about $18,000 year‑over‑year and that the county is shifting some controls from hydraulic to electric. The committee also approved buying a new flatbed and a truck‑mounted attenuator (truck vendor: Rush Truck Centers; attenuator vendor: RoadSafe Traffic Systems), with the county’s welding shop handling installation.

Jerry described two culvert replacement petitions: Lawndale Township’s failing box culvert (shown in county photos) will be removed and replaced with three 48‑inch pipes to restore flow, and White Oak Township’s narrow 7‑ft by 5‑ft box will be replaced with an 84‑inch culvert, widening the crossing and installing riprap and an inlet that ties into the larger pipe.

When Member Reeves raised safety and access concerns at County Road 28 in front of Cornerstone, Jerry said the county met with Cornerstone and requested cost participation for turn‑lane engineering; Cornerstone declined to participate. Jerry said preliminary findings for reconstructing the roadway and adding a turn lane were "around $500,000," and he said the county may seek bids soon to fix crown and shoulder problems in the near term.

The committee also heard budget‑burn snapshots for the highway and bridge funds showing payroll and capital lines roughly 13–20% spent so far and noted that pipe purchases will be reimbursed by users beyond the county. The committee did not record any dissent on the items approved.