Supervisors discuss bridge crossing on Nutmeg Avenue

Jefferson County Engineer Scott Cline told the board of supervisors today the bridge consultants reported a railroad bridge crossing over Nutmeg Avenue received a rating of 4 out of 9.

The supervisors have discussed this underpass previously in connection with the urban renewal district the county is proposing for the development of Heartland Co-op?s grain storage facility at Nutmeg Avenue and Highway 34.

?It?s a one-lane, 15-foot-8-inches height clearance under the bridge,? said Cline. ?It has no horizontal clearance, cracks were noted in the sides but not on top, and it?s leaking and leaching.

?I will send the consultants? copy of this report to the railroad and ask if the railroad has any plans for it,? Cline said.

?A rating of 4 means we should keep an eye on it, but it?s scored a 4 the past few inspections, which could be six to eight years, and it?s still usable. It does indicate a poor condition. This was a cursory review.?

Supervisor chairman Dick Reed asked if the county paves Nutmeg Avenue on both sides of the bridge underpass, would it need state approval if state money is used as part of the funding.

?Will the state approve a paving project leading up to a one-lane underpass?? said Reed. ?I wouldn?t want to have the project done and the state not agree.?

Cline and the supervisors would like the underpass to be expanded for two-lane traffic, especially if the Heartland Co-op project is built and more grain trucks would be using the underpass.

In other county road news, Cline said two different culverts had frozen shut last week.

?On 110th Street and 150th Street, culverts were completely sealed by ice,? he said. ?On 110th, water was ponding on the road, we had to use 6-inch pumps and close the road from 11 to 5:30 Friday to get the water down. We used 3-inch pumps on 150th Street.?

Supervisor Lee Dimmitt said he received an email about a big hole in the road before the bridge leaving Abingdon, but he hadn?t personally gone out to look at it yet. Cline made a note about it.

?I had a conversation Sunday about flipping the stop signs around at Nutmeg Avenue and 200th Street,? said Dimmitt. ?The area by the stop signs is getting washboard there. We talked about whether it?s a good idea to put stop signs on 200th Street and add solar-powered warning signs a ways out, like we have on Pleasant Plain Road for Cambridge.

?I?ve been told many vehicle don?t observe the stop sign [on Nutmeg Avenue] now,? said Dimmitt. ?It?s becoming a high-traffic area.?

Cline said if one street has more traffic volume than another, it would be a good idea to put the stop signs on the lighter-trafficked street.

?Can you do a traffic count in this weather?? asked Reed.

Cline said the type of traffic count using a rubber hosing would not work during winter because it could be plowed up with the snow blading.

?I?d like to have a traffic count done before we move any signs around,? said Reed.

Cline said he?d already submitted 110th Street, Nutmeg Avenue and Osage Avenue to the Iowa Department of Transportation for traffic counts in the summer, but it isn?t guaranteed IDOT will choose to do those.

Reed asked if there is any funding or grants available to help pave roads for established developments.

?We?re looking at funding for the Heartland Co-op project and paving roads, but I wonder if there is a mechanism to upgrade roads for growing a business,? said Reed. ?A large and growing agricultural family business is out there and the gravel roads don?t hold up so well to heavy traffic. How can the county help improve infrastructure for established businesses that are growing and contributing to our economic development??

Cline said there are grants

available from IDOT but they can be difficult to obtain.

Reed said there are qualified grant writers in the county.

Adam Plagge, director of Fairfield Economic Development Association, said he could follow-up with IDOT and Debbie Durham, director of Iowa Department of Economic Development, who will be in Fairfield March 19 for the annual Fairfield Manufacturers Association luncheon.

Audience member Jack Ritz asked if something had been done on Packwood Road where rocks had washed away from the shoulder, leaving a 6-inch drop-off, which could have caused the accident the lead to spilling 100 gallons of diesel fuel.

Dimmitt said there were also washouts on the shoulder along Libertyville Road, on the south side of the eastbound lane, between two bridges.