Latest news with #MichaelFrietsch
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Jasper County acquires concrete for bridge project on N. 107th Ave. W.
Jun. 4—The Jasper County Board of Supervisors approved less than $15,000 worth of concrete that will be poured onto a new bridge deck along North 107th Avenue West over Clear Creek. County Engineer Michael Frietsch said the bridge — classified as Bridge D05 — will be about 120 feet long when fully completed. Purchasing the concrete was an attempt to stay below the day labor limit of less than $15,000, Frietsch said. Only one bidder submitted an estimate for the structural concrete. The board of supervisors awarded the contract to Manatt's Inc. for $14,800.50, giving the county about 90 cubic yards of poured concrete. "Our estimate, the engineer's estimate, was $15,750, so they were underneath our estimate a little bit," Frietsch said. "Overall, that's pretty good and that will put them under contract and not count against our day labor limit so we can avoid getting hand slapped by the (Iowa Department of Transportation)." Progress of the bridge work is coming along. "Should be setting the beams here on it pretty quick here actually, so we're getting real close to pouring the deck probably next month," Frietsch said. Newton News previously reported about Bridge D05 in August 2024 and March 2025. Last year, the county paid for geotechnical services on the bridge to determine the underlying soil conditions. Allender Butzke Engineers conducted the geotechnical services to Bridge D05 for $6,000. Earlier this year, the county had to acquire permanent easements in order to move forward with the bridge replacement. Since the steel beam, single-span bridge will be raised about two feet higher, Frietsch decided to try and get a 30-foot strip of additional right-of-way on both sides of the bridge.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
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.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Subsurface exploration authorized for third phase of F-48 West project
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways May 7—Before construction crews even begin working on the third phase of F-48 West — which won't be until fiscal year 2027 at the very least — the Jasper County Board of Supervisors ordered soil borings be conducted for the twin box culverts that will be installed along the heavily traveled county highway. County Engineer Michael Frietsch said the twin box culverts would be located near the first curve east of Polk County. Currently, the plan is to replace Bridge O10 with culverts. To determine what the underlying substructure is like, soil borings must be collected. TEAM Services of Des Moines will carry out the work. Altogether, the soil borings will cost the county $4,980. According to the contract included in the supervisors agenda, the two soil borings will be drilled to a depth of about 25 feet below the existing grades. The borings cannot be drilled within the stream area with a geotechnical drilling rig. Instead, they will be drilled alongside the nearby stream. The third and final phase of the F-48 West resurfacing project extends from Colfax to Mitchellville. In addition to the road work and the bridge being replaced, a curve will also be relocated. The curve will be moved northwest, making the final product even wider. Design services have already been approved. The county will have to acquire 6.3 acres of right-of-way easement and vacate about 9.2 acres to relocate the curve. When the county vacates the old curve, Frietsch said the road surface will be taken out during the construction phase and then crews will restore the ground back to agriculture land. The concrete will likely be hauled off by the contractor to a landfill or reuse it as riprap provided there isn't any rebar.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
County engineer plans to replace more than 20 bridges in the next 5 years or so
Apr. 27—Over the next five years, almost two dozen bridges in Jasper County are planned to be replaced, along with five HMA resurfacing projects, 10 or so pavement projects and a few surface improvement projects, according to the fiscal year 2026 (FY26) secondary roads five-year program. County Engineer Michael Frietsch said all construction projects — replacing in kind or repairing — are included in the five-year plan. Regularly scheduled maintenance work is not included in the plan. He noted the dates included in the plan are when the projects will be let and not necessarily when the work is done. However, there are a number of projects whose accomplishment year has been set for FY26, which is from July 1, 2025 until June 30, 2026. Bridge R01 on East 40th Street South over Reasnor Creek will be replaced with pipe. The Bridge R20 project on West 24th Street South over Buck Creek will be let after July 1 and then be built within the next year. Bridge S33 on County Line Road over a branch of Skunk River is expected to be finished in fall. Bridge C16 on North 99th Avenue East over Little Snipe Creek will be let on July 1, but the materials probably won't show up until summer 2026. HMA pavement is planned for North 51st Avenue East from Hilltop Estates to the Polk County line, which will reinforce the road to handle construction traffic at the subdivision. Bridge S13 on East 64th Street South over a small stream is another local bridge replacement with pipe. Pavement improvements are planned for South Main Street in Reasnor, which was a quote approved last year. A box culvert replacement on South 20th Avenue West is also letting in July. Pavement maintenance is also planned on Highway S-74 South, Image Avenue and Highway T-38 North. Bridge S07 on Highway F-62 over Elk Creek will be let in December or January 2026. The FLAP grant project for improved access to Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge is being let in June. PCC paving will be completed at South 128th Avenue East near Co-Line Manufacturing, and that will also be let in July. The third phase of the HMA resurfacing project for Highway F-48 West from Colfax to the Polk County line is going to be let in March 2026. "That's what we got coming up in the accomplishment year as far as our program goes," Frietsch said to the board of supervisors back in early April. "...We've got a variety of more projects after that in the priority years. But that's kind of what we got coming up the next year or so here." The board of supervisors approved the FY26 five-year program for the secondary roads department in a 3-0 vote.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Increased secondary roads spending attributed to significant bridge work
Apr. 23—Jasper County is going to spend a few million dollars more than it normally does for the secondary roads department this coming fiscal year. County Engineer Michael Frietsch reasoned the almost $2 million jump from last year is in large part due to the amount of bridges damaged in the May 2024 floods. The county's secondary roads budget for fiscal year 2026 (FY26) was unveiled and approved at the April 8 board of supervisors meeting. Frietsch walked though the revenues and expenditures with officials during a public hearing and explained the secondary roads department has a lot of bridge work planned. "We got a lot of bridges in this number, and we got the bridge in Mingo so that's definitely causing our expenditures to be higher going into '26," he said. Frietsch noted the secondary roads budget presented to the supervisors only features property tax dollars and Road Use Tax funds, so it does not include the farm-to-market account or any federal moneys. The funds are separated into estimated receipts for current year and the next year, and prior actual receipts. The actual receipts from prior years only feature the first prior year (FY24) and the second prior year (FY23). According to those receipts, secondary roads has revenues of more than $19 million in FY23 and more than $20 million in FY24. It is estimated the county took in more than $18 million in FY25. For now, it is estimated the secondary roads department in Jasper County will have more than $19 million in revenue in FY26. "As you can see, revenues are not really increasing much at all," Frietsch said. It is important to note the secondary roads department often has $7 million to $10 million in its starting balance when starting a new fiscal year. When it comes to expenditures, the secondary roads department is seeing a steady increase from year to year. In FY23 and FY24, the department spent more than $10.5 million and more than $10.6 million. It is estimated the county spent more than $11.2 million in FY25, which is this current year. However, expenditures are seeing a noticeable jump in FY26. Budget documents show an estimated $13.6 million is planned to be spent this next fiscal year. "That expenditure is accounting for us cashflowing the bridge in Mingo," Frietsch said. "So that's one of the reasons why that's high. And then we've got a lot of bridge work that we got to do for the bridges that were damaged back last May as well that need to be replaced."
