Public Works considers concrete for road repaving

With County Roads 168 and 6 on the schedule for repaving during the next two years, the Public Works Department is looking at the possibility of using concrete rather than the typical bituminous.

“We think it would cost a little bit more upfront but in the long run it actually costs less for the taxpayers,” Public Works Director Greg Isakson told commissioners during a Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday.

A steady rise in the price of bituminous is the reason for consideration of concrete. Blacktop has doubled in the past seven years alone, jumping from $25.64 per ton in 2005 to $52.41 per ton today.

Isakson said if that trend continues and the cost doubles even once over the next 40 years, it will have been cheaper to use concrete. Repairing concrete is much simpler and less expensive than repairing bituminous, he added. Several counties in the area — Wabasha, Fillmore, Grant and Olmsted — have turned to concrete for some of their roads.

“They’re having very good results with it,” Isakson said.

While he isn’t looking to use concrete for all future paving projects, Isakson said it would be a good option for roads that see heavy truck traffic.

Tags: goodhue county, news