The Starke County Highway Department is already making plans for next year’s scheduled road improvements. Superintendent Rik Ritzler says they’ve been hauling in loads of stone and may have it all stockpiled by the end of the year if the weather continues to cooperate.
Current plans call for increasing the miles to be paved from 11 to 30. Chip seal miles will be decreased from 63 to 35, and graveling and crack sealing miles will be maintained. Ritzler says the highway department has gotten caught up on chip sealing and can divert some of that money to actual paving. He told the commissioners Monday it will benefit the county more in the long run than straight chip sealing. A preliminary list of road improvements for 2015 will be presented to the commissioners in January.
