Inflation causes setbacks for county road construction; highway facility under budget

Avery Shanahan, The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.
·2 min read

Aug. 17—EAU CLAIRE — Nearly five miles of road construction planned for Eau Claire County faces a year-long delay due to price increases.

At the beginning of the summer, the county had 20 miles of road improvement projects planned including pavement replacement and culvert repairs. However, with the cost of materials fluctuating due to inflation, the county will only be able to complete 15 miles of improvements as scheduled.

Highway Commissioner Jon Johnson said price increases for materials like fuel and asphalt raised project costs higher than the county budgeted for.

Johnson said the actual cost of some projects exceeded the budget by 12.5%. The Highway F project, which was projected to improve nearly six miles of road, was selected for delay because it was the last project the county budgeted for.

"That was mainly due to fuel and asphalt pricing (being) more than we anticipated," Johnson said. "We reduced that project in half to help cover the cost of the 12.5% increase that we saw in those projects."

Projects that were not completed this summer have been re-budgeted for completion in 2023. All of the summer projects are slated to conclude by the end of October.

Despite the high cost of materials, the new highway facility is on schedule and even under budget.

Johnson said the construction of the facility was able to avoid any significant price increases because they were able to order materials and procure services early in the spring.

"Market and Johnson did a good job of having all of (the steel) on site early to save us any increase in cost," Johnson said. "It's all about timing and getting those materials procured as fast as we could."

In an effort to work toward the county's sustainability goals, a geothermal energy recovery system will provide low-cost HVAC services, solar panels will generate energy for day-to-day operations and electric vehicles will be available for highway staff.

The Aging and Disability Resource Center Meals on Wheels kitchen will also be located in the new facility.

The facility is scheduled to open in January 2023.