Bourbon County Road Crews have been busy this spring and summer laying asphalt on prioritized road, filling in the potholes and otherimprovements to the county’s roads.

“We took a new approach on how to repair roads,” Bourbon County District 1 Commissioner Lynne Oharah said. “It’s a leveling course, 1.5-inch asphalt. If you have a decent base, then you go back and do a chip and seal a few years later.”

“We get 6.5 miles, about $30,000 a mile using this technique as opposed to a 3.5-inch overlay, which costs between $80,000 to $95,000 per mile to overlay,” Oharah said. “I’m excited the way it’s turned out. We’ve come up with a new tactic to save money on roads and cover more miles.”

The new leveling course tactic was used three years ago in Oharah’s district, in the area just west of Uniontown on Maple Road to 85th Road. The asphalt has now been put on Maple Road all the way to Fort Scott, a road that runs parallel to U.S. Hwy. 54.

Next year, if all goes according to his plan, Maple Road to 85th will be chipped and sealed, Oharah said.

“If money permits, we’ll do more,” Oharah said.

Other recent completed asphalt projects have been the west side of Lake Fort Scott, which was completed yesterday, he said.

Then a short piece of 205th Road off of U.S. 54 Hwy.  to Native Road will be completed today with asphalt overlay.

One and one-fourth miles on Eagle Road completed a few weeks ago, was given a 3.5-inch overlay, he said.

“Before that Native Road past the landfill a mile and a quarter, a 2-inch overlay was done on that, completed in April,” Oharah said.

The next big project that Oharah hopes to accomplish is 125th Road south of Mapleton for three to six miles, he said.

“Then I’ll start doing chip and seal on 125th between Hwy. 54 and Maple Road and also west of Uniontown to 85th,” Oharah said.

In addition, the county road crews will start working on low water crossings that near repair.

Three low water crossings have been closed in Bourbon County:

• Range Road at 265th Road. “We’re going to have to replace that,” Oharah said.
• Northeast of 65 Hwy., on 75th. “We are going to fill in the void under the crossing with rock and concrete,” Oharah said.
• North of Unity Road on 95th. “We’ll repair it by pouring more concrete, boxing at the end of the culvert,” Oharah said.

Another low water crossing is in need of repair on  115th Road north of Range Road, he said.

Work will begin on these crossings in July, Oharah said.

Changes in the courthouse

The commissioners will soon be moving their workspace and public meeting room in the Bourbon County Courthouse, to make it more accessible to the public.

“I’m really excited about moving forward with moving everything on the second floor…to the first floor”, Oharah said.

The move is a result of the new law enforcement center completion and then the sheriff’s department and jail vacating the north side of the courthouse.

He said the move looks like it will be “very affordable.”

“We are working to have it done by the last part of September,” Oharah said.

“People have trouble getting to the second floor, this will make it convenient for them,” he said.

The county clerk, treasurer, and the commission room, every office on the second floor, will all be moved from the second to the first floor. He is hoping the driver’s license bureau will also be moved to the first floor, he said.

The second floor will then be the county attorney’s office.

“That increases the security of the second and third floors,” Oharah said.