A major road rebuild is waiting on a few final details, while another stretch of gravel road could get some relief from dust.
Buena Vista County Engineer Bret Wilkinson updated the county board of supervisors Tuesday on the reconstruction of County Road N14 between Iowa Highway 3 and Albert City, along with U.S. Business Highway 71 north of Storm Lake.
The work is part of an $11.15 million contract awarded to Croell Inc. of New Hampton. Although asphalt milling has already taken place on N14, the contractor has not yet moved ahead with removing the underlying concrete. Wilkinson said he and the contractor are still working through cross sections and quantities before construction can proceed.
Wilkinson said he does not believe the delay has jeopardized the chance to complete the concrete removal and other work this year, although the weather could affect whether paving can be finished before winter.
The contractor still plans to replace a box culvert on Business Highway 71 in late October or early November.
Supervisors also discussed a request from the City of Rembrandt for dust control on about one mile of gravel road just west of town. The stretch runs north from County Road C25 and sees heavy semitrailer traffic serving nearby turkey and chicken barns.
The county has used lignin sulfonate, a dust-control product, on gravel roads near Albert City. Wilkinson said the treatment has worked well, with the city, AgState and Valero Renewables helping cover the costs.
Wilkinson said the county could consider three options for dust control: lignin sulfonate, calcium chloride or magnesium chloride. He noted that the materials differ in how corrosive they are, and the county had not yet compared their prices.
No final decision on dust control for the Rembrandt area road was announced during the discussion.
Wilkinson also noted that harvest and manure hauling will increase traffic on rural roads, making continued maintenance important as the county works through the fall construction and harvest season.
