The Starke County Highway Department has been focusing a large part of its efforts this week on patching and other road repairs, with two patch boxes out working on the North Judson, English Lake, Knox and Hamlet areas. According to the highway department’s Facebook page, many areas throughout the county are in need of patching work and the department is progressively making its way to all of them.
Anyone with pothole concerns is encouraged to call the highway department at 574-772-3011.
Final road assessments were also performed this week, with the highway superintendent and operations foreman driving each of the 16 driver areas for the final road assessments. Each assessment includes a Pavement Surface Evaluation Rating for the road, checking for culverts that need to be replaced when the road is paved, and checking for areas that need to be prepped before the paving is done. PASER ratings were last done in October, but highway crews are doing a follow-up score for each road due to the deterioration caused by the harsh winter.
A final road improvement priority list will be created based on these assessments to be presented to the commissioners for approval at their meeting on April 7.
The department is also still working on gravel roads and potholes, roads affected by the continued thaw. Many gravel roads are rutting and muddy, and despite the department’s best efforts to grade the roads as much as possible, officials predict they won’t be caught up until warmer weather prevails.
