Gravel Road Upgrade

For current roadwork information, call 503-846-ROAD (846-7623), e-mail us, or visit Washington County Roads at www.wc-roads.com. 

Washington County, through the efforts of the Rural Road Operations and Maintenance Advisory Committee (RROMAC), has developed a program to fund the upgrades of some roads from gravel to a hard chip seal surface.

Background

Several years ago, RROMAC gained the Board of County Commissioners' approval to allocate 10 percent of any "new" funds toward gravel road upgrades. With the passage of State House Bill 2041 in 2003 which increased vehicle registration fees, between $100,000 and $150,000 a year is allocated toward this effort.

Chip sealing is a cost effective surfacing option for roads carrying less than about 1,000 vehicles a day, making it a good choice for many rural local roads. As of 2009, a three-shot chip seal costs about $110,000 per mile, while a hot mix asphalt surface costs about $176,000 per mile.

Upgrade Priority List

Upgrade of all gravel roads in the county to a hard surface is estimated to cost well over $15 million. Since funding is limited, a prioritization method ranks roads based on crop frontage, number of houses, traffic levels, and other factors.

Roads upgraded through the Gravel Road Upgrade program during summer 2011 were:

  • Groveland Road from West Union to Groveland Drive / private drive
  • Old Pumpkin Ridge Road from Pumpkin Ridge Drive to Corey Road
  • Thornburg Road from Old Wilson River Road to Gales Creek Road

Roads tentatively planned for upgrade during summer 2012, pending Board approval of the annual Road Maintenance Work Program:

  • Evers Road from Greenville Road to Osterman Road
  • Jacktown Road from Rosedale Road to 700 feet north of Daniels Road

View the upgrade priority list (PDF) updated December 2011.

What to Expect

The chip seal work usually begins in July and is completed by the end of August. This work must be done during warm, dry weather.

Any dust abatement that residents may elect to have done prior to the chip seal will be removed during this work.

The road will remain open during all phases of the work; however, speeds may be reduced and traffic delays may occur. Motorist patience is appreciated.

Before starting the chip seal, county crews will:

  • Trim vegetation to ensure adequate road width and remove any vegetation that potentially would obstruct equipment.
  • Clean or establish roadside ditches. The ditches will be hydroseeded at the appropriate time to reestablish vegetation necessary for stormwater filtration.
  • Repair or replace driveway tiles. Existing residential driveways will be preserved. However, other property accesses may be removed if the tile is less than an 8-inch diameter, if it does not drain properly or if it cannot be maintained.
  • Add base rock to ensure that the new chip seal surface has a minimum of six inches of 3/4”-0 rock foundation.

During the chip seal process, two or three separate layers of rock and emulsified asphalt are placed on the road to create a hard driving surface.

  • While the oil is still hot, a chip spreader follows immediately behind the applicator truck and applies the chips to the road.
  • The road is swept to remove the loose rock.
  • The final shot may be applied weeks after the first shot.
  • The road is then usually swept twice more, but a small amount of loose rock may still be present for some time after that.

Initially, the road looks light gray. As motorists drive on the rock and the road is exposed to normal weather conditions, it becomes more firm. After a few months the surface takes on a darker appearance, looking very similar to a hot mix asphalt surface.

Unfortunately, the surface remains "tender" during this period and can be damaged by vehicles spinning their wheels. If this occurs, please report the damage to our office.