Allen County commissioners will decide next week improvements to old U.S. 169 south of Humboldt and a 4,000-foot stretch of Delaware Road (Tank Farm Road) southeast of Humboldt.
Bill King, director of Public Works, said two proposals were requested for the old highway, with improvements for 4.3 miles from Humboldt’s south city limit to the Allen-Neosho counties line. Bids will be opened Monday morning.
Both will have 2.5 miles of half-inch milling to smooth roughness and channeling of existing pavement. With one proposal, two inches of overlay would cover the stretch; the other would have half an inch of smooth seal asphalt applied.
King said the two inches of overlay would be more desirable, but cost might be too great. Either application will give the road a much improved driving surface, he said.
“We have about $500,000 in cash carried over in this year’s budget that can be used for the work,” he said.
The Delaware Road project will include a leveling course ahead of a two-inch asphalt overlay.
THE COUNTY will spend $5,000 for an environmental study at the county airport, a prerequisite for construction of a return taxiway. Total cost will be $100,000, with the Federal Aviation Administration responsible for 95 percent.
King also told commissioners that larger pumps were needed on fuel storage tanks at the airport to accommodate larger aircraft coming specifically to buy fuel. Allen County sells fuel at the airport on a closer margin than most others, which draws pilots from a wide range to take advantage of the discount.
Some larger jets take on up to 1,000 gallons of fuel, and pumping it aboard with current equipment sometimes takes up to three hours.
“Many pilots don’t want to layover that long,” King said.
A recently completed concrete apron, where fueling stations are, has made it possible for larger airplanes to use the airport, King noted.
“We’ve had planes with a wingspan of more than 100 feet,” or wider than the runway, come ine, he said.
The runway is 5,500 feet long and 100 feet wide.
Commissioners made no immediate commitment on new fuel pumps and asked King to provide cost information.
