Oil prices force county to cut back armor coating projects

Skyrocketing oil prices are affecting the price of armor coating road projects in Red Willow County.

Because oil is the major component in armor coating recipes, the price of armor coating projects has "pretty-much doubled in the last couple years," commission chairman Earl McCook said during the commissioners' weekly meeting Monday morning.

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The three men are looking at prices ranging from $15,000 to $16,200 a mile, (compared to approximately $4,000 just several years ago) and are considering working on asphalt and armor-coated roads two miles south of the former District 8 school house, 6 1/2 miles north of Bartley and 1 1/2 miles south of the Perry elevator.

Gary Dicenta, the county's roads supervisor, suggested commissioners look into using a newly-developed road covering product that uses a manufactured rock material that is flatter and lighter weight, with no excess gravel on the road at completion. He also wants to investigate using an emulsified oil, which is less expensive because it uses less oil. Commissioner Steve Downer said, however, a savings is lost if the road doesn't last as long as a traditional armor coating.

McNutt bemoaned the rising costs of maintaining the county's hard-surfaced rural roads. "It was nice when it was cheap to build and maintain," he said. "It's not cheap now."

But, fellow commissioner Leigh Hoyt said, commissioners are threatened with "tarring and feathering" if they suggest removing hard surfaces and going back to gravel. Dicenta agreed, saying that rural residents "don't care about the size or the number of the potholes," they just don't want to return to gravel.