Dubois County Highway Department Outlines Requirements for Gravel Road Upgrades

With growing interest in converting gravel roads to chip seal, Dubois County Highway Engineer Levi Leffert provided a public review of the County’s policy. 

Leffert said that his office has had an influx of requests to convert gravel roads to chip seal. To clarify the requirements and review process for a conversion to be considered, he reviewed the current policy, which was enacted in 2019. Step one requires a 60-foot right-of-way. This accommodates the widening of the narrower gravel roadway to at least 20-22 feet wide and provides enough space for adequate shoulders. As needed, the department would then relocate ditches, cut down embankments, and remove trees that are too close to the road. It also helps to keep the area clear of parked vehicles, increasing safety for drivers. 

A common inquiry from residents, according to Leffert, has been why the department could not overlay the existing gravel with chip seal without making these improvements. Aside from the safety issues that he had already described in explaining the right-of-way, Leffert said that it was important to be responsible with funding and be sure that road construction was completed correctly the first time. Although not as many miles of road are converted to chip seal annually, they will have a long life expectancy. Once a right-of-way is obtained, the road is scored according to a consistent metric applied to all roads. Once the project is approved, the Highway Department uses their funding to chip seal the road. 

Any residents with questions about the process can reach out to the County Highway Department. There is a packet of information available containing the policy, landowner petition form, score sheet, and some examples of what the Right-of-Way Dedication Petition looks like. Leffert said that even if all of the standards are met, budget still plays a role. At this point, he said that the department is maximizing all $125,000 in annual funding that has been allocated to the program. That translates into approximately one mile of road conversion per year. 

For more information on these and other updates, visit duboiscountyin.org/government


- By Drew Hasselbring