NORTH OF DUTTON — Crews north of Dutton are working to widen and resurface the road leading into Mountain View Co-op's Collins Terminal before harvest season begins.
The road, previously treated with asphalt millings and only 18 feet wide in spots, raised safety concerns among agricultural producers who depend on it to deliver grain. Semi-trucks averaging about 8 and a half feet in width left little room for error when passing on the narrow route.
Tim McGonigal reports - watch the video here:
Teton County farmer Cody Blanchet was among those who raised the alarm.
"If we have an accident here, if someone goes off of that road, there's an off road crown that we could have someone injured very badly and a truck rolled over," Blanchet said in an August 2025 interview with MTN.
Blanchet also warned the road's condition could eventually shut down deliveries altogether.
"At some point, it is not going to be passable for all of us producers to deliver our commodities to this elevator," Blanchet said in August 2025.
On Tuesday, crews began removing the asphalt millings to make way for a wider gravel road. For Blanchet, who relies on young drivers to haul grain, the work is a welcome sight.
"I will feel a lot better when I'm sending these 16 to 18 year old boys on this road, hauling, hauling our grain to this facility," Blanchet said.
Jake McFarlin, division manager at Mountain View Co-op, said the improvements will make a meaningful difference in day-to-day operations.
"Having a road that can be maintained on a regular basis, will be a huge improvement to what we have," McFarlin said.
McFarlin said the timing of the project was also carefully considered.
"This is the slowest period of the year for us. Right in between spring work and harvest is the slowest time of the year for us. So this is the best time to do this," McFarlin said.
Blanchet said he and other producers are grateful the county took action.
"We're very excited to see progress being made and, very appreciative to our county for taking action to make this a much safer road for everyone involved using it," Blanchet said.
