RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA News) – Pennington County Commissioners this week approved a Keystone XL pipeline haul road agreement between TC Energy, formerly known as TransCanada, and Pennington County. This item has been before the commission previously, as specifics to the agreement were being worked out. Highway Superintendent Joe Miller explained the negotiations were between the county attorney Jay Alderman, a TransCanada representative, and some county staff.

He spoke about terms of the agreement for Elm Springs Road which is designated as light duty traffic only, and the GVWR, or gross vehicle weight rating.

Miller said that the Highway Department is charged with inspecting the road and recommending repairs.

Commissioner Ross Rossknecht (ROSS-CONNECT) asked Miller if the re-inspection is as thorough as the pre-inspection.

Miller said to his knowledge, the  depth of gravel wouldn’t change very much. He said it will be visible if the surface needs work.

There was no discussion on how extreme amounts of moisture might impact that road, or if it would be susceptible to flooding.