Residents Ask For Relief From E Street Dust
By Gordon Hopkins
Jefferson County residents are demanding the problem of dust from a portion of north E Street be addressed.
Seven residents attended a meeting of the Jefferson County Commissioners on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. They presented commissioners with a letter signed by 30 residents that live in the area of the 27th and E Streets intersection.
The road is covered with a soft white rock that was applied to fill in the “washboard” effect on the road. According to Jason Eyer of the Highway Department, “That’s why it crushes so easy, because it’s a lot softer. But it makes it makes a decent base.”
The concern is that traffic over the rock is raising clouds of white dust. Joel and Glennda Austin were present at the meeting and they presented commissioners with a pitcher filled with the white rock and dust. Glennda Austin said, “There’s so much dust because the truck traffic, it actually turns it to powder.”
“A lot of that has to do with the heavy truck traffic,” said Joel Austin, who noted few drivers obey the 35 miles per hour speed as posted. “If they’re driving 45 or so going through, this cloud of dust is just immense.”
Commissioners have spoken to Sheriff Nick Georgi and asked for increased enforcement of speed limits in that area. Commissioners agreed to also examine the possibility of placing a four-way stop sign at the intersection to slow drivers down.
Another possible solution is to begin placing gravel in the road in lieu of the white rock. The highway department indicated they could start doing that right away.
