7 days ago
Proposed road reclassification of N. 75th Ave. W. falls through for now
Jun. 1—No action was taken to reclassify a mile of gravel road in Jasper County, which would have reduced the level of maintenance it received from secondary roads crews. Residents who own property on North 75th Avenue West argued against the proposal, prompting supervisors to rethink their strategy going forward.
Especially considering the county engineer has identified 300 miles of roads that could — or should — be reclassified from Level A to Level B. Jasper County has more than 1,000 miles of roads. If reclassified to Level B roads, county policy dictates they receive no rock to reinforce the surface.
Operators will blade the roads once a year, but county policy restricts many other kinds of routine maintenance. Level B roads also are not eligible for county snow removal during the winter months. Farmers who own or rent the land or use the road as a route to enter their fields were strongly against reduced maintenance.
The section of North 75th Avenue West between West 116th Street North and West 108th Street North was identified as a Level B candidate mostly due to it not having any homes on the road, low traffic and the presence of a weight restricted bridge, which supervisors said would not get replaced any time soon.
County Engineer Michael Frietsch said this particular road was one of nine he looked to reclassify to a Level B this year. Earlier this year, the county reclassified a portion of Indian Street to a Level B road, despite pushback from property owners. The matter was similarly settled in three separate public hearings.
"What we're trying to do here is we're trying to make sure that whatever dollars that we receive — whether from property tax or Road Use Tax funds — are getting spent to the maximum benefit," Frietsch said. "Spending a lot of money on North 75th Avenue West does not have a large, countywide-type benefit."
By doing this, the county argued it can better focus its efforts on roads that need resources to improve their surfaces. Especially those that lead to paved routes.
Since other road reclassifications are in the works, supervisors ultimately decided on May 27 to hold back from making any further decisions until a plan could be made. Questions and concerns from a board room full of residents these past three weeks signified a need to review this idea or make changes to policies.
When it came time for the board to discuss the road reclassification, Supervisor Brandon Talsma suggested no action be taken until the larger conversation about this topic has concluded. He appreciated residents for coming to the public hearings and sharing their apprehensions with officials.
"I think we need to have a larger conversation about what constitutes a Level B or the level of maintenance we're putting on a Level B," Talsma said.
To him, it seemed liked the main point of concern was the bridge. Talsma was very clear the bridge would not be replaced in the next 10 years. At a previous public hearing, the county noted that if the road was reclassified to a Level C, the bridge would be gated on both ends, and its standards for replacement would be lower.
For instance, Frietsch estimated a new bridge at its current standards would likely cost $750,000. But if the road was a Level C, a 50-foot bridge could be built for around $200,000 or so. However, installing a culvert would be out of the question. Still, the low traffic volume means the bridge is a much lower priority.
Talsma added, "Beyond the bridge it seems like the additional concern is the deterioration of the road being reclassified to a Level A to a Level B, and I understand that because there is no difference in maintenance between Level B and a Level C, it's just that a Level C has gates on it. I 100 percent get that."
If the secondary roads department is looking to reclassify 300 miles of roads in Jasper County, Talsma said supervisors need to more clearly define maintenance procedures for Level B and Level C roads before proceeding forward with any other reclassification requests.
Supervisor Thad Nearmyer appreciated the arguments brought forward over the past three weeks. He hoped residents can then appreciate the position officials are in to now figure out how to maintain these gravel roads and the high costs associated with repairing them.
"I appreciate Mike coming to us with some ideas to help alleviate those problems, but you folks have really done a good job of explaining your situations," Nearmyer said. "...To have this many people come out three weeks in a row to support a mile of gravel road is kind of a big deal."
Supervisor Doug Cupples was hopeful future conversations would find a better solution and a plan that would treat people fairly. Frietsch said there are roads in the county that will naturally get less and less rock as secondary roads continues to triage and figure out where to invest resources.
Unfortunately, Talsma said Jasper County is "behind the eight ball" and claimed other counties have been reclassifying roads since the 1950s. But Jasper County never did. Increased costs and high inflation have forced the county to look critically at its road maintenance and develop priorities.
"Maybe we look at our Level B classification and maybe even change the Level B to where it gets rock every other year and bladed two or three times a year, that way it's still not turning into a mud road and farmers can still get their crops in and out," Talsma said.
