What Boone County Commissioners do for our county roads.
Boone County Highway Funding
I am proud to have served for many years as the liaison/advisor between the Highway Department and the Commissioner board. I work closely with the Highway Director to ensure the success of our Boone County Highway Department.
The partnership between the Highway Department, the Boone County Commissioners and the Boone County Council has produced great results over the past few years, with our County receiving maximum funding for the many projects we have.
A great example is how Boone County was recently awarded a total of $8.29 million dollars in Federal Highway Administration construction funds that will go directly into road improvement across the county.
From Gravel to Paved is an Ongoing Process
Boone County Commissioners are responsible for the maintenance of our road and bridge infrastructure. When I became commissioner in 2009 there had been several years where funding was not available to convert gravel roads to paved surfaces.
We have worked hard with our County Council and State Legislators to obtain as much funding that’s available to pay for road conversions. Since 2010, 26.55 miles of gravel road have been converted to hard surface. Consideration is given every year during our budget process for road conversions funding.
Boone County still has 310 miles of gravel roads and our commitment to converting these roads to hard surface is part of each budget cycle. The county highway department uses a matrix system allowing residents and their neighbors to present their road for conversion. Proposed roads then undergo a rating system where selection is based on an extensive set of criteria that eliminates favoritism and skewed data in deciding on what roads are to be converted.
Boone County Roads Continue to Improve
In 2015 the commissioners and the highway department began using the PASER Rating system developed by LTAP. The system rates Boone County paved roads based on several conditions such as the amount and direction of cracking, surface condition and other items. Based this data, the highway department presents projects to the Commissioners for approval to maintain, repair or resurface our roads.
The PASER system rates on a scale of 1 – 10 with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best condition (new pavement). Ratings of 1 to 4 indicate Poor, 4 to 6 represent Fair, and 7 to 10 represent Good Condition.
The PASER system allows us to effectively spend our budgeted dollars in the most cost-effective ways while dramatically increasing the quality and lengthening the life of our road system.
The PASER ratings are as follows:
- 2015 PASER rating = 4.53
- 2018 PASER rating = 5.91
- 2020 PASER rating = 6.39
- 2023 PASER rating = 6.80
With the average condition of our roads improving by nearly 25% over the past 8 years, this proves the programs now put in place are working to strengthen and extend the life of our road system. This is even more significant when you consider the approximately 735 miles of roads to be maintained.
Road School
I once again attended “Road School” at Purdue University, sponsored by the Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP).
Road School is a two-day program where elected officials, highway supervisors, highway engineers, and local highway department associates attend multiple training and informational sessions. These sessions address new developments and growth in the industry and help us become better stewards of the road funding we receive.
Elected officials use this time to not only attend classes but to also share information about what best practices can be learned from other Indiana counties.
For more information about LTAP: Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) – Purdue University