April 16, 2024

Union County roads update

By SARAH SCULL

Road work on 170th Street, which is West Adams Street extension, was completed last week with a double chip seal and is now open to public use. (CNA photo)

Union County Secondary Roads department started out 2018 with some micro-surfacing projects in Shannon City and Arispe, which are coming to a finish.

Zach Gunsolley, Union County engineer said, micro-surfacing projects have been completed in Shannon City, east and west of Arispe, on High School Drive southeast of Afton, Green Valley Road and REA Road between Redwood Avenue and Creamery Road. The 20 miles of road repairs cost approximately $1 million.

“If you break that down, that’s roughly $50,000 per mile, which is a lot less expensive than the quarter million per mile that we’re having to do on Creamery Road now. But Creamery Road is in a lot worse shape than some of those other roads,” said Gunsolley.

Creamery Road

Gunsolley said Monday should be the last day of the dual pilot cars on Creamery Road.

“I want to thank the public for bearing with us,” said Gunsolley.

Gunsolley said the purpose of pilot cars is to keep the public and road workers safe.

“No one likes them, I don’t like paying for them, but at the same time I don’t want anybody hurt. So it’s a necessary part of the job,” said Gunsolley.

Gunsolley said a road milling crew wrapped up Monday and another crew should be done working Wednesday. While the road is milled off, crews will now focus on fixing the “basement” of the road to repair bad joints and do full depth patches.

“That’s not to say another buckle isn’t going to come up in another few years, but we’re going to do the best we can to make the road as good as we can for as long we can,” said Gunsolley.

Creamery Road will feature two 11-foot lanes, for a 22-foot wide road. It will have 4 inches of new asphalt, striping to prevent passing and new shoulder rock. However, the county will keep the old concrete road from the 1960s underneath, except for the areas where buckles will be repaired.

“We’re not disturbing that concrete because it makes for a good foundation where it is good,” said Gunsolley.

170th Street and Dogwood Road

The seal coat on 170th Street, which is West Adams Street extension, was completed last week with a double chip seal.

“It is a little bit dusty right now and Dogwood will be too,” said Gunsolley.

Dogwood was completed late Monday. Both roads will have a fog seal to help keep dust to a minimum.

To see a map of Union County 2018 roads projects, visit www.bit.ly/ucroads.