The combination of a relatively wet autumn and extended periods of bitter cold winter weather has taken its toll on Scott County roads, resulting in many complaints about County Road 18 from residents of Prior Lake and Savage.

Scott County Highway Engineer Mitch Rasmussen said that while all of the county’s roads have been affected, the county has “received a multitude of calls regarding the condition of County Road 18 north of County Road 42.”

The section of road has suffered from “a severe pavement tenting problem,” in which the pavement is heaved into a tent-like shape, he said.

The county is working with the state Department of Transportation and an independent material testing company to fix the problem, Rasmussen said.

“Basically, we want to fix this problem correctly the first time, rather than have the problem return next year,” he said.

To correctly diagnose and remedy the problem, Scott County Public Works staffers cut open a small area of pavement Monday to take samples of the aggregate base and sub-grade soils. Based on the results of the sample tests and subsequent recommendations from infrastructure experts, the county will develop a plan for fixing the situation, he said.

“Although we do apologize for this inconvenience, I want to assure the traveling public that we’re very well aware of the bad condition of this road segment,” Rasmussen said. “Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do immediately to fix the problem without wasting a lot of money. At some point in the near term, we may be asking MnDOT for approval to lower the speed limit on this road; however, in the meantime, I strongly encourage people to reduce their speeds in this area voluntarily.”

For more information about conditions on County Road 18 or other Scott County roads, call Rasmussen at (952) 496-8026.