Rising costs continue to cause challenges for the Porter County Highway Department, but they aren't as bad as officials had feared.
The county commissioners Tuesday selected Milestone Contractors for 10.8 miles of milling and structural surface work for a cost of almost $2.4 million. That's more than the $2 million cost that was estimated in December but less than the $2.8 million that county officials were preparing for. One million dollars will come from the state's Community Crossings program.
But other challenges remain. Highway Supervisor Jim Polarek asked for another $200,000 to be made available for fuel.
"Fuel prices, fuel prices, fuel prices. You know, from when we budgeted, obviously, it's about double what it was," Polarek told the commissioners.
He also plans to transfer leftover money in the road salt budget to cover the increasing costs of vehicle tires and other parts.
