In partnership with the Village of Dallas, Barron County was able to move forward with the reconstruction of County Highway U within the village limits thanks to a grant made possible by one-time funds provided in the last state budget.
This section of CTH U – for which the county and village share responsibility – had reached the end of its useful life with pavement deformation, cracking, potholes, and many patches. Without the grant or another revenue source, the Village of Dallas would not have had the ability to fund its share of the project, and the road would have continued to deteriorate. This trend may have led to year-round weight posting as pavement failure was imminent.
CTH U is a major collector with substantial agricultural traffic. Jennie-0, Barron County’s largest employer, has many turkey facilities in the vicinity and uses CTH U to provide feed and supplies to its farms and to transport live turkeys between the farms and the processing plant. CTH U also provides service to the surrounding frac sand industry and is the most direct route for residents to access the employment areas in the City of Barron and further north.
“The ability to make this kind of investment in a community is critical,” said Barron County Highway Commission Mark Servi. “It’s about supporting the local economy and connecting people to jobs.”
The grant application included an estimated cost for the project of a little over $500,500. The grant covered $350,300, with the remainder split between the county and the village.
The project was completed in August, on time and under budget.