Boone County Commission approves guidelines for $14.7 million Rural Gravel Road Paving Program

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Boone County Commission on Tuesday approved guidelines for the Boone County Rural Gravel Road Paving Program, according to a Tuesday press release.

The program uses a data-driven approach to identify, prepare and paving existing county-maintained gravel roads in rural areas “that create a maintenance burden for the Boone County Road and Bridge Department,” the release says. The program was created to convert heavily traveled roads to paved surfaces and determine which roads to convert, the release says.

The release says the commission adopted the guidelines before approving its fiscal year 2025 budget and will cost $14.7 million in Road and Bridge Sales Tax funding. The commission is expected to adopt the budget in December

The county began testing the program this fall and found a number of roads met the requirements to convert, the release says. Calvin Drive and Cedar Tree Lane were paved during that period.

Roads with average daily traffic from 200-250, require significant maintenance, the release says. The release also says that a number of those roads met minimum width standards, had “minimal utility conflicts,” needed fewer culvert replacements and a minimal need for tree and brush removal.