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HARTINGTON – Work on asphalt overlay projects throughout Cedar County is scheduled for this fall.
The county board of commissioners heard an update from County Highway Superintendent Carla Schmidt on Sept. 12 about the projects.
Knife River, Sioux City, Iowa, was awarded the contract of more than $2.3 million in February for four asphalt overlay projects.
One of the projects the company will work on is for 898th Road from Highway 81 going east for 1.7 miles near South Yankton. This also is known as the “Bottom Road.”
Knife River was tentatively scheduled to work on this stretch of road Sept. 25-Oct. 13, with construction flaggers to help control the flow of traffic.
“The ‘Bottom Road’ has been in dire need of attention for some time,” Schmidt has previously said. “The issue with this road has grown increasingly troublesome with increased traffic and heavier equipment over the years. Patching doesn’t seem to be a viable option anymore. The maintenance of this road is very expensive, and the county has been looking at possibly doing an overlay project versus the annual patching.”
This project includes milling the existing asphaltic concrete up, laying it back down and compacting it for base, and laying eight inches of asphalt over the top, she said.
Another area Knife River will work on is 889th Road from Highway 57 going east to Bow Valley.
The company was tentatively scheduled to work on this stretch of road Sept. 27-Oct. 10, with construction flaggers to help control the flow of traffic, but Schmidt was not sure whether this project would happen during this time frame.
“The Bow Valley road has also needed some extra attention for some time,” Schmidt said.
The project includes milling some of the existing asphalt and laying a three-inch overlay.
Knife River also will work on Kathol Road from Highway 84 going south for approximately 800 feet next to St. Michael’s Catholic Cemetery just southwest of the Hartington city limits.
The company was tentatively scheduled to work on this stretch of road Sept. 26-Oct. 10, with construction flaggers to help control the flow of traffic, but Schmidt was not sure whether this project would happen during this time frame.
“The Hartington project is a new overlay project on an existing gravel road,” Schmidt said, adding that it will include eight inches of asphalt on the subgrade.
Along with giving the commissioners an update, Schmidt also notified East & West Catholic Elementary in Bow Valley, as well as Cedar Catholic High School and Hartington-Newcastle Public Schools, of the projects.
“They all have buses going in and out of there with that school right there,” Schmidt said, adding parents or bus drivers may want to make adjustments. “We’re trying to stay ahead of letting people know, but we’ll see.”
The fourth asphalt overlay project Knife River was approved for was completed in June on 559th Avenue from Highway 20 going north for three-fourths of a mile past the Randolph cemeteries.
