By DAVID COLBURN

News editor

People driving on Nighthawk Rd. between Peabody and 190th Rd. have been wondering what’s going on with large patches of gravel along the mid-county corridor.

Road and bridge superintendent Jesse Hamm said his department is trying to deal with asphalt problems that have been cropping up.

“Preventative maintenance hasn’t taken place like it should have,” Hamm said. “We’ve got some weak spots in the base we have to address.

To do that, asphalt had to come up and rock go down.

“Last year we were seeing problems, but we didn’t do any rock patches,” Hamm said.

However, it won’t be long before those white patches turn back to black.

“I plan before the end of the summer to cover those rock patches with blade patch cold mix,” Hamm said. “We’re shooting for that. I’m not making any promises.”

Hamm said he asked for money to do an overlay next year on Nighthawk Rd., but he didn’t know if his request would be funded.

Meanwhile, for drivers whose feet get a little heavy on the accelerator when cruising Nighthawk Rd., Hamm had advice for safely navigating the patchwork asphalt and gravel.

“The safest thing,” he said, “would be to drive the speed limit.”