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Highway department reports storm damage cleared, paving on 400 North and fiber/route agreements
Summary
Tim Ortman, the highway department representative, told commissioners crews are finishing storm-related debris cleanup, will pave 400 North this week, and are coordinating fiber deployment and truck routing for a battery storage site to protect roadway shoulders.
Tim Ortman, representing the Decatur County highway department, updated commissioners on storm impacts and active projects at the June 15 meeting.
Ortman said crews handled substantial debris, plugged culverts and other storm damage over several days, and that cleanup work was largely wrapping up. He reported paving will begin on 400 North (estimated one week) and that tree trimming along County Road 421 started the same week and should take about seven days.
Ortman described agreements with fiber contractors: one contractor (Mainstream) is meeting privately with landowners to identify private utilities and will use ground-penetrating radar; TDS is planning fiber work in the northwest county and the county will ask for similar protections and coordination. He also explained truck routing plans for a battery energy storage project—intended as a one-way in (state road 3 → 400 North) and one-way out (empty trucks via 250 South to 421) to avoid shoulder damage.
Why it matters: The updates affect road users, private landowners near fiber work, and residents on routes used by heavy construction traffic. The county emphasized contractor responsibility for utility damage and adjustments to construction schedules to avoid local events such as a rolling bicycle tour.
What’s next: Highway staff will continue cleanup, finalize the chip-and-seal contractor schedule, and follow up on detour meetings and heavy-load routing as needed.
