Road Maintenance Program for 2013-2014 approved by Board

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, June 25, 2013

The annual road maintenance program approved by the Washington County Board of Commissioners at its June 25 meeting includes paving or sealing over 80 miles of roadway, including 20 miles of surface treatments in the Urban Road Maintenance District. (See Road Maintenance Program Summary.)

Private contractors will provide most of the road paving and sealing in the urban area. County forces will perform pavement patching and chip sealing on over 41 miles of roadway, mostly in the rural area. These preventive road surface treatments preserve the pavement and extend the life of the road, saving tax dollars. Over the long term, it is less expensive to maintain the road surface than to reconstruct it when it fails.

Washington County is responsible for maintenance of almost 1,300 miles of roadway, 200 bridges and 3,000 culverts. The goal is to apply the right level of resources at the right time to ensure the most cost-effective use of available funds while achieving the best overall condition of our transportation system assets.

Roads will remain open during most of the road paving and sealing work. However, travelers can expect delays. Bicyclists are encouraged to avoid roads while they are being chip sealed; that work starts in July and is completed by the end of August. During the work, the road surface may be covered with loose rock. The chip seal is finished with a layer of emulsified asphalt and sand, creating a more bicycle-friendly surface.

Twelve small-scale improvement projects are also included in this year's program, including six Minor Betterment projects and six Urban Road Maintenance District Safety Improvement projects.

To view the road maintenance program document or to find out if a particular road is scheduled for road maintenance in the 2013-2014 fiscal year, visit Washington County Roads at www.wc-roads.com and click on Maintenance Projects.

For more information about county road maintenance, please call (503) 846-ROAD (846-7623) or e-mail [email protected].

Related: 2013-2014 Road Maintenance Program (PDF)

Washington County is committed to planning, building and maintaining the best transportation system, ensuring the safety of all roadway users, and to operating the county roadway system in a cost-effective and environmentally responsible manner.

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