County Road 4 tops 2022 road and bridge list

Almost $4 million in state and federal aid will be used on five road improvement projects scheduled for 2022.
County Highway Engineer Mark Sehr outlined the five-year road and bridge construction plan at the Feb. 22 county commissioners meeting.
The plan was unanimously accepted.
Sehr will present the five-year plan again at the March 22 public meeting with township officials. The meeting begins at 1 p.m. at the Rock County Library.
The majority of the 2022 construction budget will be used in a 7.58-mile mill and overlay project on County Road 4 from the Rock River Bridge east of Luverne through Magnolia to the Rock-Nobles county line.
Project estimate is $2.3 million and includes edge drains to alleviate the “waviness” in the current roadway due to excess moisture.
Other road projects (totaling an estimated $590,000) include four additional mill and overlay projects this construction season.
The projects (all in the city of Luverne and under a mile in length) include:
•Blue Mound Avenue from Main Street (County Road 4) north to Fairway Drive.
•Warren Street from Cedar Avenue east to Blue Mound Avenue.
•Blue Mound Avenue from Warren Street to north Main Street.
•County Road 4 (Main Street) from Highway 75 east to Blue Mound Avenue.
One bridge repair is planned for 2022 and involves reconstruction of the County Road 1 bridge over Kanaranzi Creek.
The current bridge received emergency repairs in 2019 after spring ice flow damaged the 1961 bridge’s wood pilings, which resulted in a 3-inch sag in the bridge deck.
Cost of the bridge replacement is estimated at $937,000.
The county will also look to install intersection warning signs at the intersection of County Road 4 and 17 (Manley Corner).
The signs, which warn motorists of pending cross traffic, cost roughly $120,000. The project was previously scheduled but no bids were received to completed the intersection signage.
 
Repairs not planned for west County Road 4
Sehr reiterated to commissioners that no repairs will be attempted to correct the two rough road areas on County Road 4, west of Luverne.
Sehr said the winter season’s freeze-thaw cycle causes areas over two culvers to sink, creating dips in the road.
“It comes back every spring,” Sehr said. “If we fix it, it may become worse.”
The culverts under the roadway allow water from the surrounding marsh areas to drain.
Once the frost leaves the ground, the roadway levels itself out.
Sehr said attempts to fix similar sinking in the west part County Road 4 roadway due to frost proved to be futile.
“I say ‘leave it’ for now — we got into one west of IBP 12 years ago — the deeper we went the worse it got.”