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County sets priorities for 2016 road projects
The Bourbon County Commissioners on Tuesday approved the final list of hard-surface roads projects for 2016.
Commissioners and Public Works Director Jim Harris held a work session on March 17 to review the list of roads and set their priorities. Considerations were traffic count and road conditions. Harris provided commissioners with a prioritized list Tuesday.
"This is a starting point the commissioners can look at, change," Harris said.
The total of the projects is $528,000. Funding for the project is from a transfer from the sales tax fund to the road and bridge fund.
"We'll be pushing our revenue this year," Harris said. "That transfer covers trucks, labor and material. And as you folks mentioned, we'll have to watch as we go on the revenue to make sure we match revenue to costs."
Harris said if the last quarter of the sales tax revenue is not included, the county won't be able to do as many projects as planned.
"I would ask you to tell me what one, two, three priority is, then we'll start working and when we're out of revenue, we'll stop," Harris said. "There's some real top priority roads on here that needs some attention. All of these roads need attention, but some are really severe -- Soldier Road, the Lake Road, Industrial Park."
Later, Harris said he will meet with Bourbon County Treasurer Rhonda Dunn on a regular basis while the projects are ongoing.
The following are the roads and cost of materials for each project:
* 190th Street, one mile of chip and seal between from Indian to Hackberry, $15,000.
* 190th Street, one mile, from Hackberry Road to Grand Road, to be milled with the base reworked, then asphalt, $75,000.
* 195th Street, one mile, from Indian to Hackberry Road, chip and seal, $15,000.
* 195th Street, one mile, from Hackberry Road to Grand Road, asphalt, $75,000.
* Liberty Bell Road, one mile, chip and seal, $13,000.
* Hudson Road, one-half mile from U.S. Highway 69 to Campbell Road, asphalt, $50,000.
* Soldier Road, two miles from 225th Street to 245th Street, chip and seal, $30,000.
* 245th Street, three miles, from Soldier Road to Valley Road, chip and seal, $45,000.
* Maple Road, two miles from 205th Street to 185th Street, chip and seal, $30,000.
* Maple Road, two miles from 75th Street to 95th Street, chip and seal, $30,000.
* 75th Street, one mile from Maple Road to U.S. Highway 54, chip and seal, $15,000.
* Eagle Road, one mile from U.S. Highway 69 to 230th Street, asphalt, $75,000.
* 125th Street, four miles from U.S. Highway 54 to Range Road, chip and seal, $60,000.
"I'd say we've got about the right priorities," Third District Commissioner Harold Coleman said. "There's several others that could fit right in there too, but when you're out of money, you're out of money."
Harris said there are some areas of the "Lake Road" (Lake Fort Scott) that need to be reverted to gravel in order to make repairs.
He and commissioners agreed the list is a working document which is subject to change as the season progresses.
"Where we start and where we finish may not be on this list," Harris said. "It's all about revenue.
Jeremiah Hill, who attended the meeting, asked if chip and seal would be "good enough" for Soldier Road and 245th Street.
Harris said the crew will "grind" down the road, fill holes with hot-mix, then chip and seal.
"Is it good enough? It's a band aid," Harris said. "It's going to buy three or four years I think."
He also admitted the county's dump trucks coming out of the quarry has caused damage on the hard-surface roads. He said the truck drivers are going to begin running a different route.
"It doesn't matter where we run, somebody's not going to be happy -- dust, traffic," Harris said. "Yea, we tore up that road."