County embargoes all gravel roads

    COUNTY -- Shelby County early Thursday morning, March 14 passed a resolution of necessity placing an embargo on all of the county’s gravel roads.
    Load limits of 10 tons are placed immediately on all granular surfaced roadways within Shelby County.
    It’s the first time since 2010 an embargo has been enacted, but then it was a limited embargo.  County officials are calling this week’s snow melt, rain and release of frost from the ground an historic event the likes of hasn’t been seen in 40 years.
    Basically, if you don’t have to travel on these roads…don’t.
    “I’ve been on several (roads) this morning and they’re all bad,” said supervisor chairman Steve Kenkel.  “This is an historic event.  In my 41 years working down here I’ve never had a flood at this time of the year – it’s always been that June-August time frame.
    “Just look around.  The hard-surfaced roads that have any water standing on them are crumbling too.  It’s the most potholes I’ve ever seen in Harlan.”  On Highway 59 there are potholes never seen before, he added.
    Kenkel said the county is pleading with the public to work with the county and its secondary road crews.  “Please work with us, and also be considerate of your neighbors because these are the roads your neighbors have to drive to and from work,” he said.  “Make some accommodations, whether it’s your grain hauling or (if) you can reduce the load size or put it off until it freezes some morning or for a few days.”
    Kenkel said the roads are going to get destroyed the way it is.
    Shelby County Engineer Brandon Burmeister said crews are pleading with the public to don’t be out if you don’t have to.
    “The snow melt plus the frost going out plus the rain, you talk to people and it’s 40-plus years since this has happened,” Burmeister said.
    He said crews will be out the first second it’s fit to work on the roads.  It has to dry up, firm up or freeze up for that to happen.  “It will take us awhile to get around to everybody, but we’ll get there,” he said.
    Kenkel said all school busses in the county will be hard-surfaced only.