County Highway Superintendent Updates Commissioners on Road Projects for 2023

Marshall County Highway Superintendent Jason Peters updated the Commissioners on 2023 road projects at their meeting last week.

The Community Crossing Projects have been submitted to INDOT.  The projects are Plymouth-Goshen Trail from the city limits to U.S. 30, 10B Road from State Road 17 to the County Line and Queen Road from U.S. 30 to 6th Road.  The total estimated cost is $1,623,000.  If the county receives the million-dollar grant from Community Crossings, then the county will be responsible for the $623,000.   The Council approved the local funds in their January meeting.

The additional paving project Peters wanted to complete with the contractor who gets the Community Crossing work would also complete the additional paving of 9th Road from Pioneer Drive to Union Road. The estimated cost is $1,226,000.  Peters told the commissioners the council didn’t support the additional paving project at this time.

Councilman Tim Harman thought the County’s Highway Dept. could do the work and it wouldn’t cost as much. 

Superintendent Peters said his employees would have to transport all the asphalt for the project and they didn’t have enough trucks and manpower for such a big project.  He did say he could do the project in two phases or would find other smaller projects to consider if necessary.  The decision will have to be made before the Community Crossings projects go to bid.

Peters recommended finishing Muckshaw to State Road 10, finishing King Road to 12B or completing 13th Road from Peach to Olive Trail as alternate additional paving projects. 

The Highway Superintendent said his 2023 Road Project for 2023 was presented to the commissioners for review a couple of meetings ago.  The estimated cost is $3.8 million, and he has only budgeted $1.5 million. The projected projects will give the county 47.5 miles of chip and seal roads, 37.25 miles of reclaimed with double chip seals, and 15.75 miles of paving.  Peters said that doesn’t include the Community Crossing projects of 6 miles or the additional paving project of 5.25 miles.  He said the maintenance on that was estimated at $439,700 and would include patch, road gravel, limestone, sand  and possibly crushed concrete.