HAYDEN J EMRAH
WZBD
At their July 2nd meeting, Adams County Commissioners spoke with County Engineer Nate Rumschlag and Highway Superintendent Brad Yoder about construction updates and ongoing projects involving multiple bridges and country roads throughout the county.
Discussions started with Rumschlag, who updated the commissioners on three separate bridge projects in various stages. Most notably, the bridge on 200 W just south of highway 224, which is now open this week following some asphalt and integrity repairs. Other bridges set to be repaired are in the process of receiving grant money through Indiana’s community crossing grant program, which provides up to 75% of funds matching to aid in infrastructure costs.
Rumschlag provided technical details on the repair process, explaining that there was a change in plans for how the bridge was repaired after a worker from the highway department noticed different specifications at the bridge site than was documented, which led to some minor drawbacks–an extra day of repair work and an item change in the billing.
Next up to approach the commissioners was Brad Yoder, who announced the completion of bridge repairs along state road 218, which was the cause for diverting traffic–most concerningly semi-trucks–onto the local county roads near the site. He also stated that some additional power line work is being done by Indiana Michigan Power along 000, between 850 N. and 1000 N.
Yoder also announced the expansion of chip and seal/asphalt roads in various spots around the county, providing insight into how the county determines which roads to upgrade. Any Adams County resident who wishes to upgrade their county road from gravel can make a request to the highway department’s road improvement schedule, provided a couple of prerequisites: their road must tie into a road that is already chip and sealed or asphalted, and that everyone on that road signs an official document agreeing to relinquish part of their property along the road in order to have the easement necessary for the road upgrade.
Because of these requirements, it can be tricky getting the road upgrades, especially if a select few residents on the road refuse to sign, in which case the construction process cannot begin. Roads that are currently scheduled for the upgrade are as follows:
- County Road 500 S, between 500 W. and 550 W.
- County Road 250 S, between 200 W. and 300 W.
- County Road 600 E between 350 N. and 450 N. However, one property owner along the road is selling, and if the new owner doesn’t give approval then the county can not go through with the project.
Commissioners thanked Yoder for providing details into how the road improvement schedule operates, to which Yoder emphasized that the nature of the bureaucratic process means that it can take two or more years for these road improvement projects to actually start construction, but that anyone who meets the prerequisites can apply and start getting signatures.
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