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Coffee County highway staff to start mowing, hot‑mix patching as material costs rise
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Summary
County highway staff said mowing crews will start next Monday, the department will use a recently acquired hot box and pursue hot‑mix patching with its paver, and officials warned that rising fuel and stone prices will limit how many roads can be repaired this season.
Coffee County highway staff told the highway board at its April meeting that crews will begin county‑wide mowing next Monday and that the department plans targeted hot‑mix patching and paving as material supply and prices allow. Ben, a highway staff member who delivered the operations report, said the department has been clearing ditches and brush while preparing for mowing and patching work.
The midmeeting report said the county’s new hot box is already in use and that staff will try to obtain hot mix when it becomes available to repair dips and patch roads, including spots on Oak Hill and Asbury roads. "That hot box is doing pretty good," Ben said, adding that the department had worked out loading challenges and planned to use the county paver—once a replacement wheel ordered from the factory arrives—to save contractor costs.
Ben highlighted safety concerns for mowing crews. He said flagger availability is limited and that some roads are especially hazardous for crews with traffic passing closely. "So y'all be looking out for those guys," he said, urging drivers to give crews space.
Board members and staff also discussed specific paving priorities. Ben said the department will concentrate work this year in the Hillsborough area and in a small subdivision in Beech Grove that requires a short connector to U.S. 41; Hickerson Road and other rough stretches were also mentioned as candidates for repair. He said crews will pull shoulders and remove roadside dirt ahead of paving to reduce future pothole formation.
Officials warned that rising input costs will constrain what the county can do. The board cited higher prices for oil, diesel, stone and fertilizer and said rock and asphalt bid results expected in May will clarify per‑unit costs. "It's gonna cost more to do everything we do this year," Ben said, noting that higher bids for rock and asphalt will make coverage of road miles tougher.
The board reviewed budget context and past one‑time funding: Ben said the county received roughly $3,000,000 in state funds a few years ago that paid for about 25–30 miles of work but required local matching; he added that reserves are slimmer now as a result. Members emphasized that regular gas‑tax maintenance funding is limited and that the county must prioritize the most deteriorated segments from a long list of needs—members described the county network as roughly 600 miles of roads.
The board set the next meeting for May 6 at 3:00 p.m. at the Administrative Plaza. Ben said the paver wheel is on order and that rock bid results expected in May will shape the season’s final work plan.
