by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
Stearns County may make changes to its dust-control practices on gravel roads.
Typically, the county’s highway department policy has been to do dust control by homes and businesses that are less than 300 feet from the edge of a gravel road. The new policy would require those property owners to split the cost 50/50 if they want dust control.
The cost to the county for dust control is about 60 cents per liner foot, which would require the property owner to pay half of that, 30 cents per linear foot.
Splitting the cost, the county says, will stretch budget dollars, allowing dust suppressant to be applied in much more needed areas where vehicles tend to brake, around curves and at stop signs. Those are areas where dust can become a hazard. Gravel is becoming more scarce and more expensive, according to the highway department.
Some counties do not do dust control at all for residents or businesses, and some counties have cost-sharing policies as now proposed by Stearns County. There are 53 miles of gravel roads in Stearns County.
