The latest local news, weather and high school sports from the Heartland

OTTUMWA, IOWA -- After all of the snow and slush of winter, most secondary roads in Wapello County have few potholes. But some roads may be a bit yielding due to the moisture and light rainfall in recent days.

Fact Finder spoke with County Engineer Brian Moore about his perception of rural thoroughfares. He said that once the roads dry, road graders can smooth them out.

"We've got some potholes. If we get through this week with little rain, and they are calling for sun next week, hopefully it will dry out. And we will be able to get out and blade the roads and get rid of the potholes, which will make things look a lot different," Moore said.

He added that roads are in much better shape than this same time two years ago with 2008 floods.

"I drove a lot of miles yesterday and I'm actually pleasantly surprised how well we are doing. We were expecting some really bad conditions," Moore said. "As you know, two years ago [secondary roads] were really bad. But we are nowhere near [to that level] two years ago."

Moore said that workers are currently addressing isolated spots in the county roads. He added that everything is manageable at this point.  

"We would have to get some heavy rains to affect the county roads, flash flooding. Obviously if we get heavy spring rains and we're into the same situation. With the Des Moines River, it is based upon what Lake Red Rock does with their outflow. So we have a little bit of time to prepare for that. We will have to see what happens upstream in the upper Des Moines River," Moore said.

Moore added that if area residents know of rural secondary roads in Wapello County that are in poor shape, to contact the Secondary Road Department.