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Commission approves partnership to maintain Road 42/Torchlight Road near oil-field access
Summary
Big Horn County approved a partnership with an oil-field operator to grade roughly ½–¾ mile of Road 42/Torchlight Road several times per year for safety; County staff and commissioners cited public-safety benefits and included an option for the county to withdraw from the agreement.
Dave Michael, representing Engineering/Road & Bridge, told the Big Horn County Commission that the maintained road up Road 42/Torchlight Road does not reach as far uphill as county staff had long assumed and that the segment used for oil-field access narrows on curves and creates a public-safety concern.
Michael said private operators perform some hauling on the route; the operator asked the county to partner on grading approximately one-half to three-quarters of a mile three to four times per year. Michael said contracting the work out would cost a minimum of $7,800, while Road & Bridge foreman Hovey said his crew could blade the stretch in about an hour.
Commissioner Dave Neves moved to approve the partnership and included language allowing the county to discontinue maintenance if necessary; the motion was seconded and carried. Commissioner Bruce Jolley and others said they supported the agreement because it improves safety and the company offered assistance.
The Commission also received several Road & Bridge operational updates at the same time: airport crack sealing was beginning, a mailbox post had been removed from the Greybull River Road for being placed too close to the roadway (a permit should have been obtained), Crooked Creek repairs were nearly complete, and the county approved purchasing a WYDOT pickup for $5,000 to replace a vehicle near end of life, with surplus-sale proceeds to offset the cost.
County foremen presented and commissioners approved three right-of-way permits (Willwood Irrigation Lane 24 repair with a waived fee, a Frannie/Deaver water-line permit for Road 1, and a TCT fiber permit for Road 11) and a gravel-crushing contract with Frost Rock Product. The Commission denied a request from Big Horn County Solid Waste for assistance designing a septic system at the North Landfill.
No specific vote tallies were recorded in the minutes for these approvals.
