Spring road construction time is upon us and so it is also time for a project update. This is the time of year we make better progress with less rain; schedules are always pushed to the right because of inclement weather. To start this spring’s road district’s improvement plan, our County board of Commissioners just approved and awarded a contract for a new asphalt base and new surface layer for the mile of Charter Oak between Western and Pennsylvania. Atlas Paving submitted the lowest and best bid at $183,515.00 and was awarded the contract to resurface that mile of Charter Oak.
That one mile re-surface contract specifications call for two coats of tac-oil for two separate layers, the first of which is the Base which will help stiffen and provide a leveling layer using 1 ½” of type A HMA, then we will apply a new Surface Layer of 3” of type C HMA. This will provide a new 4 ½” asphalt cap over a dry and compacted road base. Our County road crews have been working to ensure that all previously failed roadbed areas were deep milled and stabilized with up to 24” of compacted dry rock and aggregate.
This type of road base rebuilding process is recognized as a civil engineering best practice and along with improved side drainage should provide this mile of Logan County the best chance for a smooth and much improved driving surface for the near future. This best business practice is the most cost effective and asset efficient use of taxpayer funds. This road re-surface project should be completed mid-July this year with a total cost to the County taxpayers of around $220,000.00.
We have also been working on two other miles of bad gravel road that has been at least temporarily tamed on Western between State Highway 33 South down to Pepper’s Ranch. The County just purchased a bulk of reground asphalt from the local I35 maintenance contractor and now our road crews are finishing the new ground asphalt cap on top of the new shale road base we just completed. It’s taken our crews many months to rebuild this well-traveled two miles of rural roadway but it’s been well worth the effort. This cost effective repair will require less maintenance by the county in the future and will drain better, providing a smoother driving surface with lots less dust for the residents.
This week we will be soliciting for bids to pave Forest Hills between Sooner and Coltrane with a new asphalt surface layer of 3” of type B HMA. Our county road crews will improve the roadway crown and drainage on that mile over the next few weeks where needed in preparation for paving. We will also be reshaping and placing a crushed asphalt cap over the next mile for Forest Hills between Coltrane and Bryant. This two miles should be paved and caped by mid-August this year and provide a much better connecting road between Sooner and Broadway.
Later this month we will also be soliciting contractors for bids to clear trees from the 1 ½ miles of right of way on both sides of Simpson Road between Coltrane and Ward Road. Once the trees are removed the county will be clearing the right of way and improving side drainage. This is required in order to apply to receive a $500,000 Federal grant and gaining approval to move $200,000 of county CIRB funds to this project. The timeline schedule provides to have all funding applications submitted and right of way cleanup completed prior to the November 2016 deadline for the Federal funding application.
Until next time, be safe out there on our county roads and bridges.
Marven Goodman
Commissioner
Logan County, District 1
Work: 405 282-3581
commissioner@commissiondistrict1.com
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