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Jeff Hargens – Highway Superintendent
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Assistant Hwy Super: Dan Fischer
Shop Manager: Jeff Phinney
Office Manager: Chris Schaefers
Auditor Liaison: Nicole Gortmaker
~ADDRESS~ ~EMAILS~
810 E 2nd Street [email protected]
Miller, SD 57362 [email protected]
(605) 853-3292 [email protected]
~HOURS~
Office Hours: Monday – Thursday 7:00 – 5:30
Click on image to enlarge
Click on image to enlargeThe Hand County Highway department maintains 230 miles of paved roads and 185 miles of gravel roads on the county road system. They maintain 107 bridges on the state inspection list as well as numerous smaller bridges, box culverts and metal culverts. The department has 12 full time employees which includes three administrative personnel, and on occasion seasonal employees.
We are responsible for the coordination of the maintenance of the Hand County Highway system. We perform maintenance, snow removal and function as project coordinator on gravel, bridge, and right-of-way projects as well as other necessary jobs and activities. We are subject to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week including all holidays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Harrison Township is the only unorganized township in the county. Inherently by default their roads fall under the responsibility of the Hand County Highway department. Any problems with the roads in other townships should be directed to the Township Chairman. To find out who your chairman is, click on the link below.
If any of the information on this list is out of date please let us know.
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Notice of Bids
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that sealed bids will be received by the Board of Hand County Commissioners, Miller, South Dakota, at the office of the Hand County Highway Department until 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, January 7th, 2025 after which time the bids will be publicly opened and read. The Highway Superintendent will present the bids to the County Commission on the Tuesday January 7th, 2025 for the following:
Stockpile of ¾” crushed Gravel
In NW part of Hand County
Approximately 70,000 ton
Bid specifications and bid sheets may be obtained from the Hand County Highway Department, located at 810 East 2nd St., Miller, SD 57362. Phone 853-3292.
The Hand County Commission reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids and to waive informalities.
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ANNUAL NOTICE OF SNOW REMOVAL AND SANDING
9-5-2023 Policy re-approved by the commissioners 11-7-2024
UNORGANIZED TOWNSHIP SNOW REMOVAL POLICY:
Harrison Township: It is the policy of Hand County to initiate snow removal operations to maintain traffic as long as the visibility is above 300 feet and weather conditions are such that plowing can be done safely and be effective for at least five hours. As weather conditions permit:
- After the county highway system has been opened, then work will start on unorganized township roads.
- For unorganized township(s), the main objective will be to make roadways open for at least one lane for bus and mail routes as weather, time and finances permit. Non-bus or mail routes will be considered only after the bus and mail routes are open.
ORGANIZED TOWNSHIP ROADS:
Organized township roads will be plowed only in the case of a life-threatening emergency or at the request of law enforcement, fire services or medical providers.
SNOW REMOVAL POLICY:
It is the policy of Hand County to initiate snow removal operations to allow traffic flow as long as visibility is above 300 feet and weather conditions are as such that plowing can be done safely and effectively.
The county highway superintendent has the responsibility for initiating all snow removal and sanding actions using their best judgment of the current weather conditions. The department will endeavor to maintain the procedure that:
- When snow fall is at least two inches but less than four inches all hard surface roads will be plowed during normal working hours.
- With a snowfall over four inches or more all hard surface and gravel county roads will be plowed during normal working hours, as prioritized by the highway superintendent.
Outside of normal working hours, plowing may commence only in a case of emergency or impassable roads.
If the weather is negating all benefits of plowing, it may be deemed necessary to suspend winter maintenance due to adverse weather conditions until the event has receded and it is safe to resume.
The priority of which roads are plowed and in what sequence is at the discretion of the highway superintendent.
SANDING POLICY:
The sanding of bridges, steep hills, curves and intersections on all of the hard-surfaced roads on the highway system will be directed at the discretion of the highway superintendent.
The highway department shall have the authority to sand in areas that have been classified as danger areas by law enforcement, fire or medical services, such as accidents or for emergency vehicles. This could also include roads on the township system and the state system.
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2025-2029 5-Year County Highway and Bridge Improvement Plan
The Five-Year County Highway and Bridge Improvement Plan, or TRANSPORTATION PLAN, is a short-range planning document that will be developed and updated annually based on needs and identified department policies. The plan will include roadway classifications, roadway and bridge inventory, a five-year list of the projected revenue for highway and bridge improvements, a five-year list of programmed highway and bridge projects based on the projected revenue and the status of programmed projects from the previous plan. Projects that cannot be funded with current revenues can be included in the prioritized project listing and brought into the funded program if funding becomes available.
The TRANSPORTATION PLAN should be used as a tool to assist the county in budgeting, planning and incorporating the needs and concerns of the public.
Transportation planning is a cooperative process designed to foster involvement by all users of the system, such as the business community, community groups, the traveling public, freight operators and the general public through a proactive public participation process conducted by the county. The planning process also fosters communication between local governments such as townships, towns and larger cities to jointly discuss transportation needs and coordinate improvements.
2025-2029 Five Year Plan Revenue Sources
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To learn more about the Road & Bridge Tax Levy please click on the link below and take 30 minutes to educate yourself:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ROAD & BRIDGE TAX POWER POINT PRESENTATION
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RURAL ACCESS INFRASTRUCTURE FUND GRANT
ATTENTION ALL TOWNSHIPS: Funding opportunity available
Does you’re Township have small bridges or culverts you need to replace? The South Dakota Legislature created the Rural Access Infrastructure Fund to help townships and counties repair and replace culverts and bridges on township and county secondary roads.
For this particular program Townships need to fill out their own applications individually.
Check out the Townships section of our website under the Auditors menu or click on this link to go to the South Dakota Townships website. They are more than happy to answer any questions you may have about the RAIF program.
2024 UPDATE: RAIF WILL INCLUDE STRUCTURES ON MINIMUM MAINTENANCE ROADS
If you have any SMALL STRUCTURES on MINIMUM MAINTENANCE ROADS please let us know so we can put them on the list of structures in the county.
UPDATES TO THE RURAL ACCESS INFRASTRUCTURE FUND GRANT: SB124 has made it permissible to use RAIF Funds on culverts and small bridges on Minimum Maintenance Roads.
If you would like to apply for funds for any structures on minimum maintenance roads please let us know so we can get the process rolling.
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5 YEAR ROAD CONSTRUCTION PLAN with MAPS
Every year we create a 5 year plan. This plan lists the roads in our county and helps us choose which one to work on by the severity of wear issues. These plans serve as a guideline for our budgeting and to keep track of what road issues were addressed in the past. We try to maintain a 7-8 year rotation on roads with occasional patching and spot treatments in order to keep roads in reasonably good condition.
Please note these plans are tentative and susceptible to changes as scheduling, financing and other unplanned issues arise.
2023-2027 Five Year Plan (7/1/23)
2023 – Hand Co Projects Completed Map
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1anzFdMwQNhmD2mRXo1G9f1Ie6h8o7xis/view?usp=sharing
2024 – Hand Co 5 Year Plan Map
2026 – Hand Co 5 Year Plan Map
2027 – Hand Co 5 Year Plan Map
2028 – Hand Co 5 Year Plan Map
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BRIDGE IMPROVEMENT GRANT INFORMATION
Below are maps indicating the structures that received Bridge Improvement Primary Engineering Grants (BIG PE Grants). These were selected for Engineering Review from the applications we submitted in 2022 and 2023. The bridges that have been reviewed are put in the running for replacement or removal grants in the upcoming years. If it is designated as a removal it is noted in the text box on the map. The state will start with the structures that were selected in 2022 and work their way down the list.
Since these projects are being mostly funded by grants the state is responsible for the timeline and selecting the contractors that are going to be doing the work. Once the grant recipients are selected they will be staggering these projects over a period of time so we are not having to afford a huge expense all at once.
The average cost of one bridge is $750,000. The grant will pay 80% ($600,000) of that expense leaving Hand County with the remaining 20% ($150,000). In comparison, we annually receive an estimated $175,000 from the Wheel Tax. We were required to implement the Wheel Tax to apply for these grants. Mathematically speaking the Wheel tax will cover 1.17 bridges/year.
Two of the bridges (highlighted green) are fully (100%) funded by a Local Federal Grant and have qualified for guaranteed replacement.
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NOTICE OF RIGHT-OF-WAY LAWS
For reasons of liability, it is necessary for Hand County to enforce the state laws that protect the county right-of-ways. Anyone who compromises the roadway or its right-of-way can be charged, based on SDCL 31-32-7
Examples are, but not limited to: planting in right-of-way, irrigation water going onto roads, dumping trash in ditches and pushing snow into ditches. The charge depends on the severity of the offense and the intention of the offender. Any crops planted in the road right-of-way of county maintained roads will be removed by the Hand County Highway Department and the expense will be added to the taxes on that property.
It is the intention of the Hand County Highway Department, Hand County Planning and Zoning, and the Hand County Commissioners to support and encourage other county officials in the enforcement of these laws so as to extend the life of the county roads, reduce maintenance and replacement costs in the future, and for liability reasons. Hand County Officials ask for your cooperation in this matter.
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