MonticelloLive

I trust everyone has received some of this welcomed rain. We had received 5 inches at my house by Monday morning. We received 1 ½ inches during the day and 2.4 inches overnight. So we’ve received 8.9 inches since the rain began and it’s still raining here. (Tuesday morning) I won’t complain though. We needed it.

Last Monday began at the courthouse and shop as usual. Then I went down to the Valley to check work being done on Longview Road and Jones Loop before returning to the courthouse for morning chores.
That afternoon I rode out to the lake with the mayor to see work being done at the dam site.
Office work and calls finished the day!
Tuesday began as usual. Office chores filled the morning until time to go to an Intermodal meeting at Warren. You may notice bids are advertised in the paper for the access road.
Work at the courthouse and calls finished the day.
Wednesday started again in the Valley community. Back at the office I met with a representative from the state geological survey. He was here to locate abandoned gravel pits in the county.
Tasks at the office, visitors and calls completed the day.
Thursday morning I was out on Loggy Bayou Road early as well as 4 Mile Creek Road.
Courthouse activities finished the day.
On Friday I helped take a truck from Barkada to Plantersville Road.
Upon my return to the office, I discovered that the spec sheet for the Intermodal access road had arrived from Garver Engineers. They are open to the general public if you are interested.
Office chores finished the rest of the day’s work.
The road department has been busy finishing chip and seal of one road and preparing another. Additionally, Monday Selma Collins Road, Barnard Road, South 16th Section Road, Buddy Beaty Road and Pleasant Grove Road were graded. Buddy Beaty Road was also ditched.
Seven (7) culverts were installed on Selma Collins Road.
Drew County 133 was bushhogged and the blades changed on the bushhog.
Soil cement work was done on Jones Loop.
Firing Range Road, Old Troy Road, Old Dermott Road, Old Deane Road, S. 16th Section Road, S. Cominto Road and 4 Mile Creek Road were patched.
Tuesday saw 4 Mile Creek Road, Grace Road, Grace Loop and Collins Line Road graded. Collins Line Road was also ditched.
Gravel was hauled for culverts on Selma Collins Road and to the shop.
Wilmar Loop, Stafford Road and part of Barkada Road were bushhogged.
Soil cement work continued on Jones Loop.
On Wednesday Florence Road, Brixie Road and Mount Tabor Road were graded. Other routes were checked to see if they needed grading.
Class 2 gravel was hauled to Jones Loop and the shop.
Dickson Road, Dave Knight Road, South Wilmar Road, Pumpkin Center Road, Lambert Road and South Allis Road were bushhogged.
The chip and seal crews worked on Jones Loop.
Thursday saw several grader routes checked.
Class 2 was hauled and chip and seal continued on Jones Loop.
Old Warren Road and Wheeler Lane were bushhogged.
On Friday several more grader routes were checked.
Chip and seal continued.
Class 2 was hauled to the Valley area.
I want to assure you now that the burn ban has been lifted in light of the weekend rains. Please continue to be careful, but, for now, the burn ban is lifted.
I want to make you aware of one more outcome of the extremely high fuel prices this summer. Rising costs and a limited supply of petroleum-based products are hitting the AHTD and each and every county in the state hard. Liquid asphalt (CRS2P) is impossible to obtain. This is the product we have been using for chip and seal. CRS-2L is being used instead and we are unsure how long those supplies will last.
On the state level, the cost per mile of resurfacing state roadways has risen nearly 20% this year over last year. Last year the state paid $165,622 per mile to resurface a roadway; this year the cost has risen to $196,893 per mile.
A shortage of asphalt and asphalt products is becoming a nationwide crisis.
Please remember not to litter and dump on our roadways.
Have a great week!!