The Buena Vista County Board of Supervisors signed off Tuesday on an asphalt patch for 80th Avenue — a short stretch of road east of Alta that’s about to carry some very heavy traffic.
And that traffic could soon double, as Platinum Crush pushes the state for permission to bring in up to 1,400 trucks a day during soybean harvest.
The board approved the patch during its weekly meeting at the courthouse, after County Engineer Bret Wilkinson said he secured a contractor who can complete the work in about two weeks.
He said the asphalt patch is expected to cost between $90,000 and $100,000. The contractor quoted about $185 per ton, and the county anticipates needing just over 500 tons to complete the work. The patch will cover the gravel stretch from the new concrete on 80th Avenue up to the railroad tracks, along with a smaller section north of the tracks near Iowa Highway 7.
Wilkinson told supervisors the county plans to lay the asphalt six inches thick so it can withstand heavy truck traffic through harvest and into next year. Anything thinner, he said, wouldn’t hold up under the volume of semis headed to Platinum Crush, especially with the Iowa Department of Transportation’s (DNR) reconstruction of the Highway 7 and 80th Avenue intersection, which Wilkinson estimates will not begin until spring 2028.
He said the asphalt work could be done in a single day, depending on weather and contractor availability, and the road could reopen the same night.
But supervisors spent most of Tuesday’s discussion on the traffic that will be using that road — especially trucks headed to Platinum Crush. The soybean processing plant has asked the DNR to modify its Title V air permit to allow up to 1,400 trucks per day. The current limit is 700.
According to DNR records, Platinum Crush has filed 14 air quality permit modification requests this year, including updates to boilers, vents, filters and paved road dust estimates. The agency says its reevaluation found emissions “well below” national air quality standards. The plant argues that paved roads and updated emissions modeling justify lifting the truck cap.
Wilkinson told supervisors the last two harvest seasons brought significant congestion on 70th Avenue and Highway 7, with trucks lining up for hours during peak soybean delivery. He said the gravel portion of 70th Avenue has taken the brunt of that traffic, becoming one of the most difficult roads in the county to maintain. Heavy semis heading to Platinum Crush have repeatedly torn up the surface, and Wilkinson warned the board last week that the truck volume will continue to strain the road until the DOT reconstructs the Highway 7 intersection.
This week, Wilkinson told supervisors Platinum Crush is adding a third dump pit to speed unloading and reduce wait times, a change he said should help move trucks through the site more efficiently. But he cautioned that even with improvements, the sheer number of trucks expected this fall will continue to challenge the county’s road system.
Supervisors questioned how the plant will manage traffic if the truck limit doubles.
They also raised concerns about trucks queuing on county roads — something farmers and residents complained about last fall.
Supervisor Kathy Croker said the county needs clearer communication from Platinum Crush about how it plans to manage truck flow this fall, especially if weather compresses harvest and semis start arriving all at once. She warned that last year’s congestion could easily repeat itself if the plant is allowed to double its truck limit.
Despite those concerns, the board unanimously approved the asphalt patch, saying the road needs reinforcement before harvest begins. Supervisors noted that the work ideally should be finished ahead of heavy soybean delivery, but said the project could still move forward if it slips later into September.
Wilkinson said the contractor is aiming for the week of Sept. 21, but warned that rain delays or scheduling conflicts could push the work closer to peak harvest. He told the board asphalt can still be laid in late September or even early November as long as temperatures stay above 40 degrees, though he said the county would prefer to avoid shutting the road down during the busiest delivery days.
