Iowa County Engineer, Vince Ehlert, recently completed construction of two projects in Iowa County, which were designed by French-Reneker-Associates.  The county road sections were the Old U.S. 6 from the east city limits of Victor east to the north junction with Hwy U.S. 6 (3.1 miles) and Co.Rd. F-52 from near Millersburg east to the junction with Co. Rd. V-66 (4.7 miles).

The Victor road section was a 20-foot wide PCC pavement built as a state highway in the early 1930s and later resurfaced.  Alternate rehabilitation concepts were evaluated for improvement of this old pavement which would provide the added design life of 15-20 years.  The final concept proposal included removal of the existing lip curbs, widening, patching, and overlay with 3 inches of HMA.  The pavement included a section of newer PCC pavement with severe pavement distress (“D” line cracking).  This segment was rubblized and overlaid with 5 inches of HMA.

The second project east of Millersburg was a distressed PCC pavement that needed patching and strengthening.  The concept selected included base repairs, cracking and seating of pavement and placement of a 4-inch HMA overlay with subdrains.

An integral part of the two projects was detailed drainage review involving evaluation of reinforced concrete box culverts and corrugated metal roadway pipes (CMP) roadway pipes.  Selected structures were replaced with precast concrete box culverts.  CMP pipes were slip-lined rather than replaced.  Both improvements were built allowing local traffic to travel through the project.  The use of precast concrete box units required only a few days of out-of-service time for the roadway.

This work was contracted to the L.L. Pelling Company, Inc., North Liberty, Iowa, in April 2001 and completed in August 2001.