Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Road Maintenance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Woodbury County imposes temporary weight embargo on 220th Street after repeated pavement damage
Summary
The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors on May 5 approved a temporary weight restriction for a 1.22-mile seal-coated section of 220th Street near Sergeant Bluff after secondary-roads staff said the thin surface, installed in 2017, cannot sustain heavier construction trucks and is costing about $30,000 a year in patching.
The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors on May 5 approved a temporary weight embargo for 220th Street, a 1.22-mile stretch east of County Road K29, to limit heavy vehicles that staff said are damaging the thin seal-coat surface installed in 2017.
Laura, a Secondary Roads official, told the board the road was built with a thin surface treatment intended for lower traffic volumes and that the county has been repeatedly patching the corridor. "We're probably spending about 30,000 in patching every year on this road alone," she said, describing repeated spot repairs and the arrival of triple-axle trucks hauling construction materials for new homes in the area.
The board's resolution cites the county’s authority under chapter 321, section 471 of the Code of Iowa to prohibit vehicle operations or set permissible weight limits on roads at risk of serious damage. The resolution instructs the county engineer to remove the embargo when road conditions permit.
Board members discussed options, including reverting the road to gravel. Laura said the county has equipment to remove the seal coat and could return the road to gravel if the board directs that work. No timeline for conversion was specified; Laura said she thought it could be done "pretty soon" but had not performed that exact conversion before.
The motion to adopt the embargo was made by Dietrich and seconded by Nelson. The board approved the resolution by voice vote (record noted as "passes 40").
The embargo is intended as a temporary measure to protect the roadway while the county evaluates longer-term repairs or surface changes; the resolution does not specify an end date and leaves removal of signs to the county engineer when conditions allow.
