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Board backs fix to road-spec language, raising top lift from 2 to 3 inches to meet 7-ton design
Summary
County engineers told commissioners that the change from 2" to 3" of bituminous corrects an earlier mismatch between a stated 7-ton design and numeric specification; staff will notify townships and require 3" before approval of new roads in the affected district.
County engineering told the board the intended design standard for new roads in the first assessment district is a 7-ton design and that current numeric language requiring 2 inches of bituminous did not achieve that standard. The department proposed amending the specification to require 3 inches of compacted bituminous on the top layer for new roads to ensure the stated 7-ton design is achieved.
“Really what, Commissioner Lubcke is talking about is adding an inch of bituminous … to make sure that we achieve a 7 ton design,” the county engineer said, explaining the change corrects a mismatch between the intended design and the numeric requirement. Commissioners asked whether townships that adopt county standards would be notified; the engineer said staff will notify townships via email lists and would not approve roads that do not meet the 3-inch minimum.
The clarification will affect how engineers prepare estimates and how contractors bid projects; staff said going forward a road will not receive final approval unless it meets the revised 3-inch minimum and the required base materials.
