By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County Correspondent

County Engineer Jodi Teich met with county board members on Feb. 24 to review bids for seasonal roadway supplies. Otter Tail County is larger in size than the state of Rhode Island and paved roads total 1,067 miles.

“The backbone of the highway system in Otter Tail County requires lots of financial investment,” notes County Board chairman Bob Lahman of Parkers Prairie. “County residents who have attended public meetings in previous years have expressed their desire for their roadways to be maintained at the highest level.”

County commissioners, over the years, have also emphasized to county taxpayers that the half cent sales tax and license fees for roads and bridges are necessary. That’s because, according to commissioners, other funding sources (state, federal and county levy taxes) have fallen short of what has been needed for road and bridge maintenance in recent years.

Teich, as the new county engineer, oversees county highway construction and maintenance, bridge inspections, traffic safety programs and coordination with state and federal transportation agencies.

Seasonal supplies include the following:

• Highway asphalt – a durable and flexible composed of 95 percent crushed stone, sand and gravel used for paving roads and high-traffic surfaces

• Bituminous materials including asphalt and tar used extensively for roadway paving due to their adhesive properties; essential for road construction

• Hot mix bituminous – durable road paving material created by a heating process and mixed with aggregates (sand, stone and gravel)

• Treated salt applied to roadways during the winter months to improve safety by lowering the freezing point of water which prevents ice from forming and helps melt existing ice

• Winter sand – a mixture of coarse sand and a small percentage of salt used to provide immediate traction on icy roads.