Road Maintenance Program for 2014-2015 Approved by Board

For Immediate Release: Friday, June 27, 2014

The annual road maintenance program approved by the Washington County Board of Commissioners at its June 24 meeting includes paving or sealing over 70 miles of roadway, including 18.5 miles of surface treatments in the Urban Road Maintenance District (URMD). (See Road Maintenance Program Summary.)

Private contractors will provide most of the road paving and sealing. County forces will perform pavement patching and chip sealing. 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. The goal of the road maintenance program is to apply the right level of resources at the right time to ensure the most cost-effective use of available funds.

Roads will remain open during most of the road paving and sealing work. However, travelers can expect delays. Bicyclists may want to avoid roads while they are being chip sealed.

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

To find out if a particular road is scheduled for road maintenance in the 2014-2015 fiscal year, visit Washington County Roads at www.wc-roads.com and click on Maintenance Projects.

While URMD-maintained neighborhood streets are in good condition and adequately funded, major urban roads and rural roads maintained by the county are in decline. Maintenance of these roads is primarily funded by the gas tax, which is not keeping pace with increasing maintenance costs and growing needs. In order to address this challenge proactively, the Board of County Commissioners has referred to voters in November 2014 a countywide vehicle registration fee of $30 per year for most vehicles owned by Washington County residents and businesses. You can get additional information on this issue at www.co.washington.or.us/VRF.

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

Related: 2014-2015 Road Maintenance Program (PDF)

Washington County is committed to planning, building and maintaining a great 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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