County considering St. Joe River Road work
WALLACE – Last week, the Shoshone County Commissioners met with Public Works Director Jessica Stutzke to discuss the 23-mile stretch of road between Avery and Calder.
The St. Joe River Road, which begins in Benewah County, leaves St. Maries and follows the river until it crosses back into Shoshone County as the main access for the southern portion of the county.
According to both Stutzke and Commissioner Jeff Zimmerman, parts of that road are in bad shape and Zimmerman would like to see some federal funds spent rehabilitating it.
“I know we have some funds available,” Zimmerman said. “We haven’t really done anything in Calder and Avery, and I would really like to use some of those funds down there.”
Stutzke explained how that stretch of road is simply too big for the county to fund a full replacement, explaining that $1 million would only result in roughly three miles of work being completed. However, she proposed that the county could go down and potentially address the worst parts of the road, which hasn’t been chip sealed since 2019.
She also told the commissioners how, due to funding and manpower issues, maintenance along that stretch is a far cry from what it used to be.
According to Stutzke, Shoshone County has 107 miles of gravel roads it maintains, but only budgets $35,000 annually for crushed rock and base materials.
“For the last 10 years, we haven’t budgeted properly for that,” Stutzke said.
She also explained that there are a few areas where the road has sunk, causing damage to several vehicles, even at reduced speeds.
“Those areas could be cut out and rebuilt,” Stutzke said.
Commissioner Dave Dose suggested the county begin building a priority list for the roads that need the most work. Stutzke explained that the county does keep a list for its annual capital improvement plan, which is required to stay updated for the county to be able to apply for state and federal grants.
The funds Zimmerman would like to utilize are part of the county’s remaining ARPA funds under the Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund (LATCF) umbrella.
Stutzke is going to travel to the southern part of the county, make an assessment on the roads and bring her suggestions back to the board.