-
News
News
By Peter Nocerini
Special to the Reporter
IRON RIVER—Big trucks rumbling up and down Camp 5 Road for the last few weeks are firming up one of Iron County’s notorious unpaved roads.
Superintendent Doug Tomasoski told the Road Commission at its June 8 regular meeting about the graveling work done already in the far southeast part of the county and what may follow. At their May meeting, commissioners heard how poorly the road surface was handling wet spring weather.
Tomasoski said work on about 1½ miles of Camp 5 Road may be finished by the end of the week. Crews are using processed crushed gravel from the Camp 5 pit, either 22 or 23A.
The road is in Mastodon Township, and Supervisor Frank Siewiorek later talked about getting part of nearby Lower Dam Road sealcoated – especially the portion that goes to the Peavy Falls power plant and the nearby boat landing on the Menominee River. He suggested splitting the cost between township and county.
“It probably should get sealcoated,” he said, because of the extensive use the road gets from Wisconsin Electric/WE Energies, which operates the power plant. “And we get a lot of money in our township from Wisconsin Electric. But my board is hesitating on it because, of course, it’s not a local road.”
Tomasoski suggested the road could be placed on the county task force list of projects seeking federal funding.
During the discussion, they also noted the loss of private firms that apply chloride on roads. Chloride reduces dust problems on unpaved roads, and Siewiorek noted plenty of dust problems this spring due to low rainfall.
Acting Chair Charles Battan said the used semi-tractor and box that the commission acquired recently are being used on Camp 5, “and is working out very well.”
● As has been the case since the pandemic arrived last year, everyone at the meeting (except for Battan) was masked up to the hilt, had their temperatures checked upon entering, filled out COVID questionnaires and sat at least 6 feet away from anyone else.
It could be the last time for such safety measures. Federal and state COVID guidelines have loosened quickly in view of high percentages of people now being vaccinated. Tomasoski said the Road Commission has stayed with MIOSHA guidelines, which are more conservative.
“We fall primarily under MIOSHA,” Tomasoski said. “They’ve been lagging behind [the others in relaxing restrictions] … Maybe by the end of the month we’ll be able to set it aside.”
● The superintendent reported several summer road projects are moving ahead quickly:
-Ottawa Lake Road paving was done during the first week of June. Approach work followed during the second week, and shoulder work was happening the day of the meeting. After that, only pavement marking and signage would remain on the to-do list.
-Kofmehl Road work has started, with culverts being put in and gravel work later in the week. It’s a joint project by Bates and Stambaugh townships.
-Long Lake Road (Crystal Falls Township) paving work will start later in June.
--Old Beechwood Road (Iron River Township) ditching work is done, with paving to start later in the week. Because of a delay in the delivery of a big culvert that needs to be installed, some paving may be delayed.
-Chip-sealing is still scheduled to start the week of June 14.
Asked by Mastodon Township Supervisor Siewiorek, Tomasoski said plans for the Buck Lake Road project are on hold pending receipt of environmental permits.
The plan, he said, is to bid out the Buck Lake Road project this year but delay construction until 2022. “Contractors’ schedules are so full,” the superintendent said, “I think we would pay a very high premium to do it [this year].” It’s a local road project, so the township would also pay more.
● In other news from Tomasoski’s report:
--One of the summer employees is helping prepare information for an equipment auction that could be held as early as late June. Included: an excavator and a bulldozer.
--The Road Commission crew may be reframing another of its trucks, which was taken off the road recently because of frame problems. Most items on the truck (cab, engine, transmission, box, underbody) are in good condition.
“Financially, because of trying to hold the line on expenditures over the last year, we’re in pretty good shape,” Tomasoski noted.
--With summer just starting, the county is getting winter salt deliveries from the state. “It’s actually last year’s,” Tomasoski said. Because of mild weather, the state used less salt than usual last winter, and MDOT is storing some of the unused salt in the county’s shed.
--The county is doing more work than usual for MDOT. Most is pass-through work, where the county bids out or coordinates projects for the state. Included: joint repairs on U.S. 2 west of Iron River and work on U.S. 2-141 at the turn near the M-69 intersection in downtown Crystal Falls.
“That’s been torn up and bad for years,” Tomasoski said. “We’ve gone out for bids multiple times for them.” MDOT still has to authorize the contract. “There’s so much truck traffic on there. It [the pavement] was originally all concrete, and the cost to replace the concrete!”
Tomasoski said MDOT has pushed back the project multiple times. It’s not clear whether it will give the green light this time.