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Rock County engineer Mark Sehr is familiar with the deep ruts created by heavy equipment sinking into the thawing gravel roadways.
“Every spring you get where the top six inches to a foot thaws and we still have frost underneath — there is nowhere for the water to go and it turns into soup,” he said. “… 99.9 percent of our producers have common sense.”
Sehr joined county attorney Jeff Haubrich and the Rock County commissioners at their March 19 meeting to discuss the 0.1 percent of road users that create severe ruts in township and county gravel roads as the ground thaws.
Commissioners took no official action to curb the public’s use of gravel roads; they stressed that drivers should use common sense instead.
Last year repeated trips by heavy farm equipment on County Road 53, located two miles east of Hills, severely damaged the roadway, and it needed costly repairs.
Earlier this month the same roadway was damaged again, but to a lesser extent.
No citations were issued because the roadway was open and the load carried by the equipment was potentially within legal load limits.
“Aside from those things, they are using the road like any other person can use the road,” Haubrich said.
As temperatures rise and surfaces dry, gravel roads regain their solid bases within a matter of days, Sehr said.
County Road 53 was graded smooth to a usable surface by all vehicles as a result.
Township supervisors plead ‘stay off them’
The Rock County Sheriff’s Office has issued regular flood watches and warnings through its Nixle.com system since March 11.
A message from a township supervisor was shared during the height of the flooding on March 15.
The message read, in part, “If you don’t have any reason or business to be traveling on the gravel roads in Rock County, PLEASE, Please, Please — stay off them. … Every unnecessary vehicle on these roads just tears them up even worse than they already are. This just makes a bad situation even worse for those of us who live out here. Everyone’s cooperation would really be appreciated.”
Law enforcement officials added their own message later the same day, advising no unnecessary travel for the next several weeks.
“Some roads are closed but not posted due to no more signs available,” the Nixle.com post read.
As of Monday, Sheriff Evan Verbrugge still cautioned the public about traveling on area gravel roads unnecessarily.
“The top portion may look fine for cars, but you still have frost in the ground — frost boils — and heavier trucks can still create ruts until frost comes out,” he said.
As of Monday, frost levels were just over 50 inches deep, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation Nobles County site. Frost levels reached 60 inches, the deepest level this winter season, on March 14.
At the same time, since March 14 aggregate bases have thawed almost 25 inches as of Monday.
Farm Store, school district limit time on gravel
Some heavy vehicle operators recognize local gravel roads just need time to become firm again.
Since March 14, Luverne Farm Store used the below-freezing evening temperatures to complete feed deliveries before the gravel roadways thawed in the daytime temperatures.
The decision not to send an 80,000-pound semi trailer down a gravel township or county road was an easy one for business owner Nate Golla.
“We wanted to make sure we do the best for the roads and our customers’ yards as possible,” he said. “We have tried to be as good stewards of township roads as possible.”
It’s the first time in the store’s 71-year history that deliveries from its feed mill began at 4 a.m. instead of the traditional 8 a.m.
Golla estimates at least a dozen of the store’s daily deliveries involve traveling gravel roads.
The early start meant the semitrailers were off the gravel road and out of the customers’ yards before the road surface softened.
The early deliveries lasted until Friday morning, when overnight temperatures stayed above freezing.
The early-hour delivery schedule followed the March 13 decision by Luverne Public Schools to travel on paved roads only.
“This is the first year we went buses on tar roads only,” said Brad Goembel, district transportation director. “For the most part, I think it worked out well.”
On Monday, with a weekend of 50+ degree temps and no rain, district buses returned to their regular routes, due to most gravel roads being firm enough for safe bus travel.
Goembel said he is relying on township and county officials to let drivers know if a gravel road is unsafe for travel.
“If there are no signs posted, we will go down them,” he said.