County updates secondary-road work; dust-control trial shows mixed results

Supervisors at a Winnebago County meeting received an update on secondary-road projects and a recent dust-control trial that county staff said produced uneven results.

A county road supervisor reported that Brothers Construction may begin work soon and that a micro-surfacing job is scheduled for June 29. The Department of Natural Resources will replace a drop box at a drainage site, and staff described a recent one-mile application of a dust-control product that behaved differently across segments because of varying moisture and compaction conditions.

The presentation noted that compaction timing and equipment matter: staff said the material compacted poorly where moisture stayed higher under tree cover and that pneumatic-tire rollers and timing of compaction affected the finished crown. Supervisors discussed grader slope meters and the trade-offs between a smoother finish and maintaining road crown for drainage. Staff invited board members to inspect the trial site near the nature center to compare finished and in-progress sections.

Why it matters: the county is testing alternatives to repeated rock re-grading and seasonal washboard repairs. If the trial proves durable, it could reduce repeated maintenance on lower-traffic roads; if not, the county risks extra expense and more frequent repairs.

County staff said a second mile of the trial will continue and that crews will monitor consistency across sections; they will report back on whether the approach will be adopted more broadly.

The board heard the update and moved on to other agenda items without taking a final vote on changing surfacing policy.