WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Vehicle registration funds are being put to good use in Marathon County.
At a Marathon County Board of Supervisors meeting a presentation was given regarding what the county highway department is doing with vehicle registration funds. The presentation also went over several different things the Highway Department does in the county.
Highway Commissioner Jim Griesbach says most of the wheel tax funds go towards paving costs. “Most of that money right now, we get about $3 million is put directly into our paving budget. With the paving, we’re buying about 85,000 tons of asphalt a year at about $53 a ton. Our budget for that is over $6 million dollars so that only pays for less than half of our paving budget.”
Griesbach does say money is being saved on paving due to new innovations in the process and innovations in winter maintenance. “We’ve really gone into salt brining. The brining helps break that ice at colder temperatures and makes that salt work a lot faster. As far as paving, we used to pulverize all of our roads and start grinding them up all the way from the beginning. What we’ve found now is if the base is good underneath there, we don’t have to go through that much. We can cut that cost.”
Right now Griesbach says most of the highway’s focus is going towards winter maintenance, especially with snowstorms like the one this week. The county budget for winter maintenance is $2.4 million and winter snowstorms like Tuesday’s can cost upwards of $100,000 in a day.
Griesbach also reminds drivers that when they see highway crews working out in Marathon County to slow down and give the crews room. “Anytime you see those highway workers, please give us room. If we’re plowing, if you can’t see our mirrors on the truck we can’t see you. We just had an accident again today. Somebody was following our vehicle too close, we needed to back up to plow out a turn lane, didn’t see them, that person was hit. So give our plow drivers room. In the summer if you see a construction zone, get off the phone, get on the break and slow down.”
