Article Photos

Advertisement

UPHAM A few residents in McHenry County say they are worn out with a 10-mile stretch of gravel roadway that is often marked by potholes, soft spots, loose gravel, dust and washboards.

Compounding the problem is that the U.S. Highway 83 to Upham road is one of the most used roadways in McHenry County.

"I had to go for an emergency ride in the ambulance on that rough road," said Weyburn Niewoehner, who lives in a rural residence near the rugged roadway. "They had a hard time keeping on the road and rattling. I had trouble breathing. I sure didn't like it. I want that road paved."

Niewoehner is not alone in his desire to see pavement over the top of the 10-mile middle section of the roadway. The first 12 miles of the road, from the Forfar turn east, is paved. So is a four-mile stretch leading west from Upham. Smack dab is the middle is 10 miles of ruts, dust and loose gravel.

"It's heavily traveled with everything from cars and pickups to school buses and farm trucks," said Niewoehner. "We've met with the McHenry County commissioners and the governor and the Department of Transportation in Bismarck."

To date, a funding source for a possible paving project has not been found and it doesn't appear the situation will be resolved anytime in the foreseeable future.

"I know some in that area would like to see that road paved. With this winter and spring it has taken a beating, but to pave several miles of roadway is a multi-million dollar project," said Vern Kongslie, McHenry County commissioner. "There are no funds available at this time. There are no magic answers out there. We know that stretch of road will probably need a considerable amount of gravel this year. After the spring flooding, we've got so many projects that need to be done."

Kongslie said there was some hope for a time that federal stimulus money might provide enough funds to consider a new paving project. However, McHenry County's share of allocated federal dollars fell far short of what would be needed. According to Kongslie, federal stimulus money for roadways in McHenry County amounted to slightly more than $200,000.

"It just didn't materialize. We didn't get enough to even consider it," said Kongslie. "We received barely enough to maintain our existing pavement. There's just no funds in the county and the state has none."

The only apparent source for somewhat immediate funding would have to come from a tax increase. However, McHenry County's tax rate for roadways is already at the maximum allowed by state law. A change would have to come from voters.

"The only possibility right now would be a mill levy increase," said Kongslie. "We couldn't consider anything else at this time, federal, state or local."