(Des Moines)– The likelihood of some cities and counties inheriting what are currently state highways is increasing. That word from State Senator David Johnson of Ocheyedan. Johnson says the House and Senate Transportation Committees will meet jointly Tuesday to start working on the language of a bill that would accomplish that.
A legislative committee has recommended state highways that begin and end in a county be transferred to cities and counties. In Dickinson county, that would include highways 327 and 276 around Big Spirit Lake; old Highway 71 in the Maywood area atleast a portion of Highway 86. An earlier proposal would have had Dickinson county getting all of ’86 between Milford and the Minnesota stateline. A new proposal would result in the state keeping that portion of Highway 86 north of Highway nine.
A provision would allow cities with less than a thousand population to transfer any highways they wind up with to the county. Orleans Mayor Carlton Mitchell told the Dickinson county board of supervisors last week they’d probably do just that with the portions of Highways 276 and 327 that run through the town.
Several area cities and Dickinson county have expressed opposition to the proposal. They say the added cost of maintaining those roads would be astronomical.
Dickinson county engineer Dan Eckert adds the county doesn’t have the equipment necessary to keep Highway 327 on the south side of Big Spirit open during a typical winter. Snowdrifts in that area can be high enough to actually go to the roofs of homes.
