By CANDY NEAL
cneal@dcherald.com

An estimated $2.7 million will likely be spent this year on paving, road treatment and repairs for various county roads.

The Dubois County Highway Department has a list of roads it is looking to work on this year, for hot-mix paving, chip-and-seal overlays, surface treatments and repairs.

How much of the list is completed this year will depend on the actual cost of each project. As of now, the department has estimated costs.

“We’re trying to stretch out our paving dollars,” County Highway Supervisor Steve Berg said.

About $2.2 million in hot-mix paving projects is being proposed. The department is looking to help cover some of that cost with Community Crossings funding.

Some of the more expensive projects proposed include: Jasper-Dubois Road from County Roads 175E to 325E, $357,248; County Road 100W from County Roads 925S to 1100S, $200,334; County Road 900S from County Road 750W to the Pike County line, $167,158; and Division Road from County Roads 450W to 600W, $163,149.

About $173,200 will be spent on surface treatments, which helps extend the life of a road’s pavement.

“This is more so preventive maintenance,” Berg said. “We want to put this on them while they are still good, to make them last a longer time, before they deteriorate.”

Some of the more costly work in this category includes Holland Road East from State Road 161 to County Road 500W, $28,134; Holland Road East from County Road 500W to U.S. 231, $22,669; and Old Huntingburg Road from 150S to Patoka Township line, $20,125.

Chip-and-seal overlay is another covering for roads that isn’t as intense as hot-mix paving. “By doing this,” Berg explained, “we can get a few more years out of a road.” About $203,000 will be spent doing this work, including County Road 500W from State Road 64 to County Road 700S, $28,115; Duff Road Southeast from County Roads 600W to 525W, $22,318; and County Roads 175E from 200N to 300N, $18,897.

There is also a list of roads that have areas in need of chip-and-seal maintenance work or repair work. The total of of those projects is estimated to cost $158,600. While the majority of the projects are less than $6,000, one new chip-and-seal project, County Road 720E from Celestine Road North to Dubois Road Southeast, will cost $58,549.

Roads in all townships are evaluated and a list is developed for each township of the roads that are 10 years and older or ranked at five or less because of their deteriorating condition. The ones deemed as needing more immediate attention were the ones placed on the 2021 paving list.