CARLYLE — A familiar topic — roads — came to the forefront as a group of 15 gathered Tuesday to talk all things Carlyle.
The community conversation, hosted by Thrive Allen County, had barely gotten started when attendees started grilling Allen County’s Road and Bridge director Jeremy Hopkins with questions on plans to fix Texas Road, which passes through Carlyle and connects U.S. 169 and 1400 Street (otherwise known as Old 169)..
The plan, Hopkins said, is to resurface Texas Road this year, and possibly each of the side streets in Carlyle while the crews are in the area.
Hopkins said crews would “reclaim” the road surface, in which the old covering is removed, crushed and blended back together as the new road’s base, before an added layer of emulsion oil and rock is added.
Simply repairing potholes is not going to cut it, Hopkins and local resident Mike Church agreed.
Church was almost apologetic as he peppered Hopkins with questions about the process, the materials used, and other aspects of the county’s roads and bridges plan.
“I’m not trying to make anybody mad or anything,” Church said. “And I know you guys have got a schedule. But I would like to have my voice heard on things we’ve been waiting on for four years.”
Hopkins, who has worked in the road and bridge department for 20 years before being appointed as director last summer, empathized with Church’s commentary.
One of the County Commission’s focuses, Hopkins said, is on putting together a committee of local residents to look at all 1,000 miles of laned roads in Allen County to determine which areas should be given highest priority for repairs.
Meanwhile, he is continuing on developing a maintenance plan and chip-seal schedule to ensure roads aren’t neglected.
Church was skeptical the committee would be successful.
“I think they’re gonna be in a bit of a fight,” he predicted.
Church also pressed Hopkins on ensuring road grader operators are properly trained (they are) and to focus on ditches to ensure water drains properly from the surface.
Texas Road has a lip of gravel on both sides, causing water to flow into the road instead of away from it, Church noted, exacerbating the pothole issue.
“I understand you’ve got a big job ahead,” Church said. “But the county has to make up its mind on which roads they’re going to take care of first. You have to start somewhere.”
