They’re still working on my road!

​Tim Robson, Dirt, Gravel and Low Volume Road Specialist
Maybe that has been your complaint or your gripe this summer or in summers past, it seems like they are always on your road.  But, chances are that your local maintenance crew is just trying to get the many things done that they need to do before the next weather season comes along.  We often underestimate or fail to understand just how much these crews are asked to do in a year’s time with a small crew, limited equipment and in some cases, limited training. For instance, an un-named township in our county has nearly 80 miles of road system to maintain, 20 of which is hard surfaced road (Tar and chip or asphalt). So, you can see how this presents a significant challenge for any size road crew. 

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​The summer maintenance season for municipalities tends to start in early to mid-June. By this time, spring grading is wrapping up, hopefully dust control is going down, materials have been bid out and crews are ready to start bigger maintenance jobs which might include some of the following:

• Cross pipe/culvert replacements. These come much easier in late summer because water levels are generally going down by this time of year and the wet ditches of spring are drying up making it easier to tackle pipe and other structure replacements. Getting these replacements done early in the summer, ensures that settling will be done before fall/winter maintenance begins, also before any hard surfacing/tar and chipping takes place.
• Base work and Surface repair are in full swing in the summer months. Road base repairs can be performed now that soils have dried and stabilized, new gravel road surfaces are placed this time of year to allow them to firm up before winter plowing season.
• Paving and other asphalt/tar related projects are started as these types of projects often have a funding deadline of mid-September and most of these projects should have time to cure before getting into the colder months.

Other large construction projects/upgrades that will take several weeks/months to complete will begin in the summer season. Of course, as with many other businesses, there can always be delays in project start times as well as un-expected issues that arise during construction, so it is not uncommon to see some of these projects last into the fall. Next time you drive by your local crew, take a moment to give them a thumbs up and perhaps an attaboy, I assure you it is much appreciated.