Secondary Road Department
The Secondary Road Department is responsible for roadway maintenance, snow and ice control, ditch cleaning, roadway signing, tile repair, and bridge and culvert repairs. The Secondary Road Department is located at 2221 220th Street along Highway 3 East of Humboldt.
Maintenance hours are from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Office hours are from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday.
Road Maintenance
Road maintenance activities are focused on the 517 miles of granular surfaced roads or the 203 miles of paved surfaces. There are 4.5 miles of roadway that are classified as Level B or C, which is a lower standard of service. There are approximately 30 miles of roadway in 30 locations that are signed as No Snow Removal. Excluded from the county system are roads that are located within the corporate limits of any town as well as highways on the State system (i.e. U.S. Hwy 169, Iowa Hwy 3, 15 and 17)
Contractors are generally hired to perform specialized activities on the paved roads such as full width resurfacing or reconstruction, extensive pavement repair, pavement marking and joint sealing. County personnel are responsible for limited pavement repair, shoulder maintenance, mowing and brush control.
Granular surfaced roads are maintained by the regular application of rock (a/k/a limestone) by county personnel. Limestone is hauled from various quarries in the area. The county currently spends between $500-550,000 annually on rock.
Motor grader operators are assigned to specific territories and are responsible for the periodic blading of the granular roads.
Bridge and Culvert Maintenance
County personnel maintain the drainage structures with assistance from contractors for specialized services such as deck overlays and guardrail installation. Bridges are inspected on a two-year cycle and posted whenever the carrying capacity becomes less than the legal forty-eight tons.
Snow Removal
During snowstorms, trucks are assigned to the paved roads and motor graders to the granular roads. These criteria are detailed in the Snow Removal Ordinance.
Driveways and Entrances
Entrances into fields, homes and businesses are the property owner’s responsibility to build. The property owner may elect to build it themselves, have the county, or a private contractor build the driveway per the Humboldt County Driveway Entrance policy. A Driveway Entrance Permit is required prior to any constructions. Although there is no charge for the permit, the county must review a privately constructed driveway to make sure that it meets the specifications from the Humboldt County Driveway Entrance Policy.
Ditch Cleaning
The county cleans ditches to maintain or improve roadway drainage. Additionally, ditches are used for snow storage during winter months. Request for ditch cleaning have developed a lengthy backlog and are prioritized by the need and location. Often, coordination for utility locations can require three days to coordinate: therefore, our operators cannot always respond quickly to requests that have not been scheduled even though they are in the neighborhood.
Contact Information
Phone: 515-332-2366
Address: 2221 220th Street Humboldt, Iowa 50548
Website: www.facebook.com/humboldtcountysecondaryroads