The Morgan County Commissioners are looking to some future road projects in the county.
The Commissioners approved engineering services agreement with Hutchison Engineering for County Highway 123 this morning. County Engineer Matt Coultas says letting of the project would fall on July 1, 2023. Coultas says it’s just time to get the work done on the highway. The 10.8 mile project will be considered a rehab. The highway was a state highway years ago, but was given over to the care of the Morgan County Highway Department. Coultas says funds are appropriated for the project in FY2024.
Coultas says they are going to take off the top layer of asphalt, mill and fill, with the possibility of adding rumble strips along the side of the highway as space and money allows. Coultas says that one major project remains ahead of County Highway 123 in the interim, which include the Murrayville Road from U.S. 67 to Illinois Route 267, which will be a similar mill and overly pavement rehab. Coultas says the county highway department has already started with the plans, land acquisition, and engineering with the letting of the project in January 2022, with the official start in the Spring.
Coultas says that another similar project for downtown Woodson is also being looked at in the near future, but other projects are more of a priority due to size and urgency.
In other business, the county approved bills just north of $77,000, with the majority of the total going towards the county’s quarterly payment to joint dispatch services. Dr. Scott Boston was approved as an appointee for Morgan County to the Ashland Rural Fire District Board.
Commissioner Chair Ginny Fanning explained that Boston will be Morgan County’s representative while Cass County will fill their two appointments Monday night at their board meeting. She says a lottery will determine Dr. Boston’s length of term.