Iowa County weighs expense of fillets against safety

MARENGO — Iowa County will put in fillets on Highway 149 during a Department of Transportation project, but, to save money, they’ll be a little smaller than usual.

Iowa County Engineer Nick Amelon asked county supervisors last month if they wanted to install fillets during the 2027 project at several locations marked by the DOT or if they wanted to save money for use elsewhere.

The cost for the eight fillets will be around $80,000 to $100,000, Amelon estimated, and the money will have to come from local funds.

Fillets are rounded corners used in road design to fill gaps at intersections or sharp curves, making them more gradual for drivers.

Fillets are nice, said Amelon, but in these locations, they aren’t necessary.

Supervisors noted three options during their December meeting: they could put in fillets at all the locations, put in fillets at some locations or put in smaller fillets.

Supervisor Chris Montross said he’d like to see the county install fillets. They’re nice and they make the roads safer, he said.

The side roads in question have large radii and the fillets might cost more because of that, said Amelon. A few years ago the county put in five off the south side of Highway 149 and it cost $55,000. He thinks the fillets may cost the county about $10,000 each.

Two are currently seal coated. That will have to be factored in, Amelon said.

Using local money to put in fillets could mean less rock for roads, said Supervisor Abby Maas. Could the county make the fillets shorter? she asked.

That won’t cut the cost in half, said Heitshusen, but it will lower the cost.

The county could make them more narrow, said Amelon. “We could do 10 or 12 foot past [the DOT’s] 10 foot,” said Amelon.

Coming off 250th Street to 149 is 100-feet wide, Amelon said. “You don’t have to pave all of that,” he said.

“There’s a lot of different options.”

Heitshusen asked what Amelon would advise.

“I wouldn’t go the full 100-foot wide, and I would not go 50 feet back if we’re trying to save money,” Amelon said.

“They all have good sight distance,” Amelon said of the intersections in question, so safety isn’t really a factor.

Montross said he favored a plan to put in the fillets but make them narrower and not as long.

Amelon said he could tell the DOT the county will add 15 feet beyond the DOT’s 10 feet, check prices when the project is bid and decide the size of the fillets based on that price.

If the cost is too high, the county can bring in the corners and make the side roads a little narrower. Amelon warned that some people won’t like the change.

“Obviously, if we do that, you will get phone calls,” said Amelon.