In the dust

The condition of a stretch of 516 Avenue, from Highway 275 north two miles, consumed nearly 60 minutes during Tuesday's Antelope County Commissioners' meeting, in Neligh. Commissioner Eli Jacob, who represents Clearwater, expressed concerns about excessive dust on the road since the oil surface was milled and replaced with Sinclair gravel.

"I was told when we ground it up that it would be a year and we'd get an overlay. It's been a year this spring and we don't have an overlay yet," Jacob said.

Road superintendent Aaron Boggs told the crowd and commissioners the project would take at least two years for the dust to settle.

"It's still a gravel road. There's going to be dust when you drive," Boggs said. "There's going to be dust when you can drive 60 miles an hour on it. It's a 50 mile an hour road."

Fred Thiele, of Clearwater, disagreed.

"There's a lot of people who drive 30 or 40 miles an hour on it, with those semis on there and it's damn dangerous," Thiele said.

He contends Antelope County Commissioners' chairman, Charlie Henery, told county residents an overlay would be added in one year.

Commissioner Dean Smith replied, "That was said by one commissioner, not the board, and if one commissioner wants to explain himself, then he will have to explain it to you."

According to Boggs, the road and bridge approaches are included on the county's one- and six-year road plan.

Antelope County Highway Superintendent Brian McDonald said the bridge approach project will be put out for bids this fall.

The project, which includes a 50-foot approach, beginning near the Frenchtown Road, continuing north across the Elkhorn River and overflow bridges, will be replaced with concrete.

"We had it surveyed so the elevation will stay the same on that. That's why we're concreting that. Plus, the fact if it gets water, it will hold it better," Henery said.

Thiele asked if, in the future, the remainder of 516 Avenue, to the Clearwater cemetery, will be replaced with concrete or asphalt. Boggs said, "I've got bridge projects to do ... Those are my first priorities. The eight-mile stretch south of Clearwater, to Highway 70, needs a lot addressed.

From a structure standpoint, the road going north of Clearwater is in good shape."

The road boss said paving the road at this point would give the county approximately 10 years before it may need to be repaved.

Merlin Bolling, a former Antelope County supervisor, told commissioners after a recent rainstorm passed and county road personnel maintained the road, dust continued to be a problem.

"We've got broken windshields, we've got punctured tires from the rocks," Bolling said. Boggs countered the issue will continue to be keeping the road maintained.

"If you've got a road that has that much traffic and we put asphalt back on it, it's going to last 10 years and we'll be back at it," Boggs said.

Henery said he traveled 516 recently and the stretch between the highway and Clearwater cemetery had less dust.

"There wasn't dust on it because it has a harder surface on it. When you got dry conditions, you've got dusty roads."

John Kester said the issue is bigger than the amount of dust.

"It is so dangerous to have that much dust," Kester said.

Curt Thiele, of Clearwater, questioned why water can't be used to curb dirt.

Jacob said he contacted two businesses about hauling water on the stretch and was told by Boggs not to water it "because once you do, you'll always expect it." Commissioner Carolyn Pedersen asked what the original agreement was.

According to the June 11, 2020 edition of the Advocate- Messenger, "Pedersen asked questions, then suggested the two miles of 516 Avenue and one mile of 854 Road be ground in place, then topped with six inches of Sinclair dirt, which will potentially repair base issues Boggs said are part of the 516 Avenue issues. Pedersen's plan would include an overlay later.

The proposal drew agreement from the other commissioners and from Boggs, although he had budgetary concerns. Boggs offered choices for future overlay, including millings, cold- or hotmix asphalt and concrete, any of which can be done next year."

During Tuesday's meeting, Boggs suggested applying calcium chloride or magnesium chloride to the surface.

"If it's a dust issue we're worried about, I don't see why we can't do something like that through there. That would be our short-term solution," he said.

Bolling said he has used the product on the road near his residence and it "doesn't hold up after the road is maintained."

"It would be our most viable option right now. Paving isn't going to happen this year," Boggs said.

Calcium chloride runs approximately $900 per application.

Boggs estimated $50,000 to $60,000 per mile to use millings and oil.

New construction may run approximately $500,000 per onehalf mile. A two-inch overlay of hot mix runs approximately the same price.

McDonald did not have a cost estimate for the bridge approach project.

Jim Thiele asked the life expectancy of concrete.

Boggs estimated 25 to 30 years.

"A high-traffic road like yours, maybe 20 years," he said. "You can patch concrete a heck of a lot easier than you can asphalt."

Commissioner Regina Krebs said a $2 million price tag to fix the two-mile stretch of road would add eight cents to county taxes, "which equates to about $500 per irrigated quarter, for every quarter in Antelope County."

"We're looking at a $5.5 million road budget. To add on million dollar projects certainly makes a difference in our levy. I know we've got issues we need to address. I just don't know the time frame and I don't know how much people are going to be willing to absorb those costs to get the roads we would like to see in the county," Krebs said.

Questions were raised about using FEMA funds to fix the road. Boggs said the stretch would not be covered by FEMA or other funds.

Thiele asked if bond money the commissioners previously approved could fund the project. Krebs explained those bond funds were utilized to complete smaller projects.

According to Krebs, armor coating, overlays and maintenance required on oil roads in the county, "would take a $7.5 million budget per year to maintain those roads properly."

"If you increase that by $2.5 million to maintain all the roads properly per year, you're looking at $700 per irrigated quarter every year in additional funds," she said.

Boggs explained why setting a base with Sinclair dirt will, in the long run, be beneficial.

"It makes a heck of base," he said. "It compacts really good and you can smooth out of that surface."

If the road is replaced with concrete, some of that product will need to be removed.

"We put six inches on there, we'll probably put six inches of concrete, so we're going to have to take at least three inches back out, but it is a far superior product than anything I've found for making a base," he said.

McDonald said three inches will need to be removed due to

flood plain issues and road grade.

"We'll do a lot of shouldering with it, too. Between the bridges is what I'm talking about," Boggs said.

Fred Thiele asked if the bridge approaches can be leveled.

Boggs said road department personnel will get a good grade on the approaches before the calcium chloride is applied. Henery asked McDonald if the project will be completed this year.

The highway superintendent said, "It's not going to happen this year. The contractors are out. I bid stuff in February and I got bids for October. This fall ... it will be a spring project."