Narrowing of 230th Street moves ahead

Plans for reshaping 230th Street will move forward. 

During the regular Montgomery County Board of Supervisors meeting, the supervisors met with County Engineer Brad Skinner. Skinner said around 15 residents joined the supervisors to view a visual representation of 230th Street reshaped to 30 feet in width. 

Following the visual presentation, where affected farmers on 230th Street parked various pieces of farm equipment side-by-side to see how their travel would be affected by a reduction in the road width, Skinner said he’d received favorable reactions for the presentation. 

Supervisor Donna Robinson said she had received one phone call from a resident who lived on the reshaped 265th Street and advised against reshaping 230th Street. She said most of her comments were from farmers advising the base not be taken out of the roadway. 

Supervisor Bryant Amos said he knew everyone wanted wider roads, but that the farmers affected were able to see their side of things and the reasoning behind the reshaping. 

“They see the reason for the shoulder to have a slope, and for the road to be passable,” Amos said. 

Skinner said it was good for him to have the visual of the farm equipment present and see how the equipment fit on the roadway being utilized. 

Amos said unless a motion was made no to do the project, it would fall under routine maintenance. Supervisor Steve Ratcliff said he would not make the motion to stop the project, but that he still had reservations. 

“As far as I’m concerned, and most of the comments I got, were to leave it the way it is, and slope the ditches the way you want and move forward. I will not make a motion to that effect, as long as you’re leaving the road at 30 foot,” Ratcliff said.

Skinner said the road should be easy to maintain the road with regular maintenance after it is reshaped to a 30 foot width. 

Clayton Renander, who was at the open meeting, and the visual presentation, offered no objections. 

“We all know it needs a crown. I think the visual was very helpful and showed us what we really need. 30 feet is better than something even shorter. If we keep it at 30, it ought to be feasible,” Renander said. 

Skinner said he was in support of a public service campaign educating drivers using the roadway on what they should do if encountering heavy machinery on the roadway. 

“If we educate them what the risks are on the gravel roads, and the reduced sight distances, I think that will help eliminate some additional safety concerns. Anything we can do to raise awareness will be a big help,” Skinner said. 

With no objections, the project to reshape 230th Street was left as-is. Reshaping work on the roadway is already underway.