County signs haul route agreement for CO2 pipeline work

YORK COUNTY – The York County Commissioners have signed off on a haul route agreement with Precision Pipeline which will be constructing a CO2 pipeline through the county.

​A haul route is the allowable route used during the hauling of heavy equipment and materials/supplies during the project. The route was reviewed by York County Highway Superintendent Harvey Keim.
Keim also inspected the current condition of these stretches of roads. Once Precision is done installing the pipeline, they will be required to make sure the condition of those stretches of roads are returned to the original condition. This pertains to the roads themselves, drainage, concrete damage/distress, bridge damage/distress, culvert conditions, etc.
The company also has to comply with certain weight restrictions and right-of-way limits.
The haul route agreement also requires the company to provide barricades, warning lights and signs, etc., in areas where it’s deemed necessary as the project continues.
The agreement says the contractor has to furnish the county with evidence of $2 million in liability insurance.
Commissioners Daniel Grotz and Andy Bowman have been working with Keim regarding this haul route agreement – which was also reviewed by the York County Attorney’s office as well.
“The company has signed off on this, correct?” asked Commissioner Chairman Randy Obermier.
“Yes. And we need to sign off on this as they will be moving their way through the county, it’s important to have this in place,” Grotz said.
“I’m for approving this but I’d also like to see the York County Sheriff’s Office patrol this area more to make sure they are in compliance,” Bowman said. “Particularly in the McCool area as that is where they will be headquartered while working in York County.”
The company’s construction hub will be at the Junction Motor Speedway while construction is underway. The company is storing materials, supplies, equipment, vehicles, etc., there for this very large project.
The haul route in York County stretches from the Fillmore County line to the Polk County line. Half the route across York County runs down Road O. Then at Road 15, the haul route starts to move in a diagonal-of-sorts path into the northeast corner of the county.
The county roads department provided a map which shows this route. It was noted how certain bridges were being avoided for the route, including some in the area of York’s wastewater treatment plant and near McCool Junction.
The map accompanying this story shows the routes which the company can use to haul material and equipment – the red areas are stretches of road they are required to avoid even though they are in the vicinity of the haul route.