Rice County Highway Engineer on AM Minnesota 9-30-2016

The recent flooding in Rice County did cause some problems on roads, but Highway Engineer Dennis Luebbe told the County Board of Commissioners earlier this week there doesn't appear to be too much damage.

Luebbe will discuss road closures that still exist and we will get a lesson on highway maintenance.

In 2013, the County Board of Commissioners adopted a wheelage tax and half-cent sales tax dedicated to transportation. There are about 350 miles of paved roads in the Rice County highway system.

According to the 2013 annual report on the Rice County Highway Department website, "Flooding creates immediate and delayed problems." We will ask Luebbe about that and touch on preparations for the upcoming winter transportation season.

The I-35 bridge collapse in Minneapolis several years ago led to highway departments all over the state reassessing their bridges. If there is time I'll ask the Rice County highway engineer how our bridge system is doing.