Is the state going to do enough on Fourth Street?

This year, one of the many construction projects that will take place in York will include the reconstruction of Fourth Street, as part of the state’s relinquishment program. The Nebraska Department of Roads will reconstruct the street — involving the jurisdictions of the city and the county. Then, the street will be relinquished back to the pertaining entities.

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But will the road be sturdy enough, under the NDOR’s current plans, to handle the heavy truck traffic? Jim Klute, a former county commissioner, says he doesn’t think so.
During the public forum portion of the last county commissioners’ meeting, Klute asked the board what they understood about the pending project — and said he feels the state should be pressured to put down a concrete surface, rather than an asphalt overlay.

“I understand the bid letting has already taken place, but the project has been changed so many times. I understand they are planning a six-inch overlay with two-foot dirt shoulders,” Klute said. “I’ll ask the board — how long do you think that is going to last?”

“The project is actually going to be better than it was when it was first planned,” said Commissioner Gus Brown. “We, along with the city, went to the state and they agreed to do a better road. We took them traffic counts and tonnage counts. We and the city did some coring, as well. It should be a better surface, but we may have to cooperate with them for the upgrades.”

“The traffic and the tonnage that moves down the street is unbelievable,” Klute said. “You’ll only get two years out of it (the way the NDOR plans to build it), and then what will you do?”

Klute said he believes a concrete surface is the only way to go, to keep the street from eventually breaking up. He added that he thinks the county should financially participate in the project, to upgrade it to concrete, “and do it right. The ditches are so shallow that you have water under that road. Go out and look at it now — the road they put in two years ago already has holes in it. It will cost a lot more money in two to three years to fix it, to re-do it, than just doing it right, this year. The state just wants to get rid of it. They weren’t born yesterday.”

Commissioner Steve Neujahr said he didn’t believe the county could change the minds of the state when it comes to upgrading the street. “Basically, it looks like, if we don’t take it like this, there may not be enough money down the road to do anything at all.”

“So what you’re saying is that it’s a done deal and it’s all over with?” asked Klute.
“That’s what it looks like, but it is a better road than what was planned in the first place,” Brown answered.

“This all still has to come to the county board for approval,” Stuhr said. “And remember, we’re probably saving $1- 1 1/2 million by not doing 12th Street (referring to an earlier proposed project to connect Division Avenue and the Highway 81 bypass).”
“Well, two of the big businesses there are gone now,” Klute said, referring to the closures of Tyson Foods and Crete Carriers, which both exist in that area.

The conversation ended, so it’s unclear whether any further pushing will take place on the county’s end, to prompt the NDOR to upgrade their construction plans.