Miami County commissioners hear update on paving delays and bridge projects

Highway Department staff updated the Miami County Board of Commissioners on ongoing road and bridge work at the June 15 meeting.

Chad Watson and Janice Hughes reported that "Tile work on 950 East and 1400 South is complete, with paving scheduled for later this summer, though road work is behind schedule due to weather." They said crews worked overtime to clear recent storm debris and that the department is managing four bridge projects funded with federal aid and CCMG dollars. Staff also noted that utility, road cut and driveway permits are now available online.

During public comment, Peter Sahaidachny and Kristin Moon asked for the county's road and bridge totals. Janice Hughes and Chad Watson answered that Miami County has about "102 miles of gravel roads, with a long-term plan to convert them to asphalt, out of a total of 785 miles of roads," and that the county inventories 125 bridges. Officials said two bridges—Lost Bridge and Butler Bridge—are permanently closed and would require complete rebuilding, which the county described as too costly to pursue at this time.

The update combined operational details (tile and paving schedules) with planning-level numbers about the county's road network and bridge inventory. Commissioners did not take a separate vote on major capital funding at the meeting; staff said the bridge projects referenced are proceeding with their existing federal and grant funding.

The board did approve a separate personnel motion allowing a highway employee to carry over unused vacation hours to support training of new staff.