Seven new projects costing nearly $350,000 have been added to this year’s Bartholomew County overlay project.
If the weather permits, sections of county roads that may still get a new blacktop this year will include:
Road 700E, from 300N to 400N.
Road 650E, from 250N to 300N.
Road 1050E, from 50N to 100N
Road 850S, as it curves into 550W.
Road 500S, from 250E to 300E
Road 180W, from 1050S to 1100S.
Shady Lane (300 foot section) in Lowell Addition.
It’s unusual for the county to announce it is adding overlay projects this late in the construction season. At this time last year, highway officials were outlining which projects would have to be delayed due to the early arrival of cold weather.
Originally, officials believed they would have to table the seven projects approved Monday until 2019, county highway engineer Danny Hollander said. That’s because it was believed the county needed a state grant to fund those projects — and grant recipients won’t be announced until next month, Hollander said.
But since road crews have managed to be frugal with their spending, the highway department has learned that it has sufficient money to fund those seven projects without the grant, Hollander said.
It’s easier to be frugal paving roads in the country than in the city, Bartholomew County commissioner Carl Lienhoop said.
It usually costs $65,000 to $70,000 to pave one mile of county roads, while city streets that often feature multiple-lanes, curbs, ramps and other infrastructure requirements usually cost three times that amount, Lienhoop said.
In May, contracts worth $1.19 million were approved for 44 projects in the Bartholomew County overlay program. As of Tuesday, Milestone Contractors, Inc. of Columbus had completed 75 percent of its work, Hollander said.
If there’s not a lot of rain or an early winter, Milestone should have time to complete the seven additional projects approved before asphalt plants close in early December, Hollander said.
