Rebuilding U.S. 54 from Iola to the east edge of LaHarpe later this year will involve more than just ripping up the old pavement and pouring nine inches of new concrete. IN OTHER NEWS:
Bill King, director of Public Works, told Allen County commissioners Tuesday morning he turned back a proposal to dispose of ripped up pavement at the landfill. If it were to be deposited there, it would have to be ground to manageable size, a process that the county’s rock crusher can’t handle because of rebar in the concrete.
Wherever the material is put, it will be of concern to the county.
Darrin Petrowsky, Kansas Department of Transportation district engineer, told the Register the contract for rebuild of the four-lane highway’s concrete pavement called for 11,363 square yards of concrete, which at nine inches of thickness would weigh about 5,750 tons.
Anywhere the old pavement is taken will involve some travel on a county road, an outcome that has King a bit nervous.
Depending on how the concrete is hauled, trucks will carry between 15 tons (for a 10-wheeler) to 20 to 25 for a semi-unit supported by 18 wheels.
“State highways are designed to handle those kinds of loads repeatedly day after day,” King observed. “County roads aren’t.”
If loads were to average 25 tons, hauling 5,750 tons would mean 230 loads.
King allowed that might cause structural problems to roads, but “we’ll work with the contractor and do what we can to help out.”
— Commissioners approved a payment of $1,225,848 for construction of the new county hospital. County Counselor Alan Weber said payments remaining, and to be made as work was completed, totaled about $5.5 million. At the start cost was guaranteed not to exceed $18.3 million, meaning completion rate is about 70 percent. Commissioners also approved a bill totaling $16,347.62 for electronic recordkeeping.
— Loren Korte, Personal Service Insurance, told commissioners the county’s premium for property, casualty and liability insurance for the year beginning April 1 would be $299,213, about 6 percent higher than this year’s $281,840. The largest increase was for worker’s compensation insurance, with its share of the premium going up $11,830.
— Commissioners gave Relay for Life permission to use the courthouse lawn the night of April 26.
Highway work a concern for county roads
