BROOKINGS The wet summer has reduced dust issues on 214th Street between Aurora and Brookings soon, however, it wont be a problem ever again thanks to a project starting Aug. 21 that will transform the gravel road into a blotter road.
Thats what the Brookings County Commission learned at Tuesday mornings meeting, with additional details provided by Highway Superintendent Brian Gustad.
Hopefully well have that road open (and) completed by Labor Day, he said. We plan on leaving it closed (until then). The final surface should be just about like a paved road, but wont have the strength (that) asphalt would.
The project extending from 473rd Avenue/34th Avenue east to the Aurora city limits will be conducted in phases, with work on Aug. 21 and for the next several days focusing on processing existing gravel roadway material and recompaction. Once thats finished, road oil will be applied, followed by sand blotting. An initial chip seal will follow a day later, with a final chip seal applied 24 hours after that.
Gustad said he would also like to pave the intersection at 475th Avenue, along with reinforcing the crossing with L.G. Everist with some asphalt to prevent breakups.
This blotter that we plan to put down can get tender, and thats why we anticipate this asphalt, even a thin lift of 2 inches, would help preserve those areas from breakup, but that can be done after the fact with the road open, he explained.
The long-term plan for 214th Street calls for a complete rebuild of the roadway in order to better handle traffic loads as people and businesses continue to move into the Brookings area. Multiple options have been mulled, with each running into the millions of dollars. Federal dollars would be a key part of anything done, but those dollars have been elusive so far.
In another roadwork-related topic, Gustad said a pre-construction meeting took place in White on Aug. 11 for the asphalt project from state Highway 30 north to the county line on 478th Avenue.
The paving work is anticipated to start Sept. 2, and will be undertaken by Central Specialties. They plan to do the work over a three-day span. Between now and then, Gustad said the county will work with the contractor to mill and repave up to the locations that were recently reconstructed in White as part of the citys water and sewer project. That will ensure the towns ADA-compliant intersections will remain as such.
Gustad added that he has also reached out to Deubrook School Districts bus personnel to ensure that bus delays are minimal in nature.
Well be working with them to make sure that the kids get back and forth from school safely, he said.
Training sessions
In other county news, States Attorney Dan Nelson said Deputy States Attorney Austin Oxner provided several training sessions for law enforcement personnel in Brookings County. Participating agencies included the Brookings County Sheriffs Office, the Brookings Police Department and the University Police Department.
It was really just a refresher course that went into some of the courtroom topics that some of the newer officers should be expected to know, Nelson said. It was something that we havent done in the past, but there was sort of a need for it just because of some of the newer officers coming on board with all the different agencies that we work with.
He added that the training was well received.
Its always good to get everyone on the same page and kind of set the expectations going into anytime theres going to be in-court testimony for the officers, Nelson said. (Its) something that we plan to continue to do periodically into the future.
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