County Engineer Details Road Projects, Surging Striping Bids to Board

DECORAH, Iowa—County Engineer Michael Kueny on Monday briefed the county board on a slate of road department updates, including unexpectedly high paint striping bids, new culvert lining methods, and staffing efforts. Three striping bids have been received, Kueny told the board. "At the time of the writing, two striping bids have been received. Actually, it's now three. We had about $150,000 as one of the bids," he said. When asked what the department had expected, Kueny responded bluntly: "Not that." Kueny added that pricing among vendors was relatively close. A meeting with Subsurface Inc. introduced Kueny to a potential cost-saving method for refurbishing culverts using UV-cured lining. "You slip line this threaded material and it has a resin and it hardens inside of the — in this case, it was the concrete pipe," Kueny explained. "They went in one afternoon from 11:30 till 04:00. They did three [culverts] very fast." Supervisor Chair Dan Langreck acknowledged the timing as "impressive". The method eliminates the need for full road closures, he said, and adds durability. "It increases the capacity of the pipe because it's a smoother wall," Kueny noted. "By itself without the culvert that's already in place, it has a hundred-year lifespan." Still, costs remain a hurdle. "It's definitely more. And that's really why I'm not wanting to use it [right now]," he said. Kueny suggested the method might be better suited for emergency repairs or heavily traveled roads. Kueny also updated the board on hiring efforts. "We have 11 applications so far. That's for the bridge crew, sign man, and for the scoop," he said. Kueny added that his team remains focused on tying culvert improvements to seal coating projects for the upcoming construction season. The striping bids are scheduled for formal opening next week.