By MaryHelen Swanson

You may think that if you're 20 years old, you're in pretty good shape, but if you are a road that hasn't been improved for 20 years that might be a different story.

The 2008 Chisago County transportation improvement plan is scheduled to address all paved roads in the county over 20 years old.

Public Works Director Bill Malin, with his assistant Joe Triplett, came to the county board work session last week with details about the road projects for the next 10 years.

They reviewed maps of road projects from 1999 to 2007 which included base stabilization of 103 miles, mill and overlay of 19 miles and reconstruction of 32 miles.

If you want to know anything about your county roads, rest assured the public works department has a history on file.

Malin also provided information on a 50-year bituminous road maintenance plan.

Currently Chisago County has 308 miles of paved roads and 65 miles of gravel roads.

That includes 240 miles of state aid roads and 133 miles of county roads.

The Minnesota County Engineers Associations recommends a 50-year life cycle.

With the county's road system, following that 50-year cycle would cost $13,760,000 per year. That includes regrade/new surfacing of 6.2 miles a year, resurfacing 12.4 miles and sealcoating 37 miles.

In 2007 the county regraded 3.4 miles, resurfaced 11.5 miles and sealcoated 12 miles.

Malin concludes that based on where the county is at today, it would not be able to achieve a 50-year life cycle. If the county considers a 75-year cycle it would need $10,500,000/year to achieve regrading of 4.1 miles per year, resurfacing 12.3 miles and sealcoating 33 miles.

Sometime in the next 75 years, Malin concluded, the remaining 65 miles of gravel road will need to be paved.

Commissioner Ben Montzka stated that elected officials in his district have complained that the road projects have not been fair. In his district, he said, there are township roads, while in other districts, he believes the township roads have been named state aid roads and get funding.

Malin noted that, within a few percentages, all districts have received fair treatment in road projects.

Inevitably it is the price tag that causes great consternation when planning for road maintenance and improvements.

Malin told the commissioners that a $5 wheelage tax could garner $1 million/year.

He said the county needs to convince the governor of that and it needs alternative financing. With financing a never-ending issue, the county may have to decide what 2008 projects to hold as it concludes the budget process.