The Washington County Road Department’s newest machinery additions are expected to aid workers in addressing repairs more efficiently.
County administrator Chelesa Carter announced reverse auction bids for a one-man patch truck and an asphalt distributor truck during Monday’s regular meeting of the Washington County Board of Supervisors.
Two vendors, Mid-South Machinery and D&B Distribution placed bids for $223,900 and $225,000 respectively for the one man patch truck.
Mid-South Machinery’s bid was accepted and approved unanimously by the BOS.
With the approval of the BOS, the county’s road department now has two one-man patch trucks, one for each end of the county as pointed out by District 1 Supervisor Lee Gordon.
“They should have it in 60 days,” Carter noted.
The BOS also approved the sole bid of $175,000 from vendor Mid-South Machinery on an asphalt distributor truck.
Washington County Road Department manager Arthur Perry said the asphalt distributor puts down tar for “chip and seal” roads, which the county has an abundance of.
The two-step chip seal process includes first, the application of asphalt emulsion and then a layer of crushed rock to an existing asphalt pavement surface.
As for the one-man patch truck, Perry said it will definitely be more efficient.
“A patch truck usually has two guys, one driving and one at the back filling in potholes,” he explained. “Any time you have a man patching that much, he’s going to get tired.”
