RoadSuper 
A survival guide for highway supers with frayed nerves and a half-empty coffee mug. The Anatomy of a Board-Induced Migraine Town boards are like asphalt mixes: every batch is a little different, and sometimes you get one with too much aggregate and not nearly enough binder. One meeting they’re praising your pothole-patching prowess, the next … Read more
You know what’s worse than a beaver dam blocking your culvert? A beaver dam blocking your culvert and your only chainsaw refusing to start like a teenager on Monday morning. Highway superintendents, listen up: If you’re only relying on one chainsaw to keep your roads clear of fallen trees, then you’re just one flooded culvert … Read more
So you’re a highway superintendent just minding your business, sipping your burnt gas station coffee, when the phone rings: “There’s a pond forming on Maple Hollow Road and the water’s coming over the top!” That’s right. The beavers are back. Again. Welcome to the time-honored municipal tradition of battling with nature’s most persistent public works … Read more
There you are, sipping your coffee, thinking the day might actually be calm, when suddenly the phone rings. A resident reports that “a chunk of the road just collapsed under my Subaru.” You head out to investigate and sure enough, there it is: a small blacktop crater that looks like the earth’s just had … Read more
Let’s say you’re a highway superintendent enjoying your morning coffee when BAM! – you get word that a utility crew is planning to slice up your freshly paved road like it’s a sheet cake at a church picnic. Can you stop them? Well… you can try. And if you play your cards right, you might … Read more
Let’s be honest. No one dreams of paperwork when they sign up to run a highway crew. But a good, simple work order can save a road supervisor from all kinds of headaches later on. Whether it’s a routine pothole patch or a full-day ditching job, having the right info on a work order helps … Read more
Let’s paint a picture: it’s a sunny Tuesday, your crew’s out on the shoulder with the backhoe, ready to dig. You’re swapping jokes, maybe arguing about where to get lunch, and then BOOM. You just turned a quiet ditch project into a fireworks show by hitting a gas line. Congratulations! You’ve now bought the town … Read more
Ah, roadkill, the unsung mascot of every highway department. It doesn’t matter if you’re running a sleepy rural township or managing a busy county road crew, sooner or later, your phone will ring with that inevitable complaint: “There’s a dead something-or-other in the middle of Elm Street. Smells like next Tuesday.” Welcome to one of … Read more
Let’s face it: if you’ve got a seat at the department head table, and there’s a Town Board in the room, sooner or later you’re going to butt heads. It’s not personal. It’s not even unusual. It’s practically a job requirement. Town Board members come from all walks of life – teachers, retired farmers, business … Read more
Dealing with the Loudmouths: Managing Difficult Personalities in Your Highway Department If you’ve been in this line of work long enough, you know the type. The loudmouth. The guy (or gal) who never misses an opportunity to make themselves the center of attention at the shop. Who constantly peppers meetings with “Well, that’s not how … Read more