The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Tuesday), passed a Resolution in opposition to Iowa Senate Study Bill (SSB) 1045 and Senate File 184, which were recently passed by the Senate Committee on Transportation, and is designed to help, among other things, the northeast Iowa logging industry. Board Chair Steve Baier said the bill, if passsed, would allow for an increase the amount of loads being transported on County roads. He said the State wants to approve permits to hail up to 130,000 lbs on non-primary highways, without having to contact local county engineers. The load limit on most county roads is 80,000 lbs.

Baier said that would leave the County footing the tab for repairs to roads and bridges. Supervisor John Hartkofp said there are other costly issues to consider with having that size load, as well.  Hartkopf said the county would spend an incredible amount of money on signage alone. And, many of roads and bridges are old, and can’t handle 130,000 lbs. Supervisor Steve Green said it would be costly to have the 228 County bridges be reinspected before they are allowed to handle the heavy loads. The Resolution passed by the Supervisors “Strongly urges all Iowa lawmakers to vote in opposition to [the] legislation.” Cass County Engineer Charles Bechtold said there’s other opposition to the bill, as well.

The County Engineers’ Association would also like to see the bill not make it through the session, but it’s a political issue, and no one is listening to the people who work directly with the infrastructure. Hartkopf added that he would like to know “Who’s behind the door…” that’s pushing the legislation. The Board feels there is another entity besides the logging industry who would benefit from the load change.

In other business, Bechtold informed the Supervisors there are some roads still closed due to flood damage in the county, especially in the Griswold area. Quimby Road sustained significant damage. Huge chunks of ice up to 18-inches thick from the Nishnabotna were deposited on the road. A woman from Pottawattamie County struck one of the “ice bergs,” as Green called it, causing her car to be wedged onto it, and off the ground. Bechtold said they are working to repair roads as time and weather allow. One of the issues is getting road rock from the Schildberg rock quarry, which has a great deal of water in the pits. That water has to be pumped out…a job that could take weeks, if not months.