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- Facts about the County-Maintained Mileage System
Facts about the County-Maintained Mileage System
Network Information
- There are approximately 560 miles in the "County-Maintained Mileage System". We maintain an additional 50+ miles in road maintenance districts such as Permanent Road Divisions (PRDs) and Community Service Areas (CSAs).
- Of the 560 miles, approximately 219 miles (39%) are unpaved rural roadways.
- We have one of the lowest traffic fatality rates of all rural counties (rate of 5.71 fatalities per million vehicle miles traveled).
- Our Pavement Condition Index (PCI), at 66, is one of the highest for rural counties.
Fiscal Year 2014/2015 Road Maintenance and Capital Improvement Discretionary Budget Summary
Work Item |
Cost |
---|---|
Snow removal |
$862,000 |
Vegetation control |
$333,000 |
Bridge maintenance |
$263,000 |
Chip seal pavement rehabilitation |
$1,268,000 |
Preparation (labor) |
$683,000 |
Placement (materials) |
$630,000 |
Shoulder and ditch maintenance |
$675,200 |
Equipment placement |
$260,000 |
Striping | $290,000 |
Asphalt overlay pavement rehabilitation |
$0 |
Preparation (labor) |
$0 |
Placement (materials) |
$0 |
Routine maintenance (pothole patching, etc.) |
$2,244,300 |
Storm damage repair |
$106,500 |
Capital projects (leverages $5,577,054 of outside funding) |
$817,000 |
Total | $7,119,600 |
Budget Notes
This budget is funded with either gas tax funds (approximately 80%) or Measure F funds (Measure F is a County Vehicle License Fee committed to transportation, at 20% of the total). There are no other County generated funds supporting road maintenance.
- Historically, we have budgeted asphalt overlays (approximately 9 miles per year) every year. With recent decreases in gas tax and other outside sources, after 2013 we will no longer be doing overlays in the 5 year CIP, resulting in projected decrease in overall pavement condition.
- Typically, capital improvement projects are funded with state/federal, Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), or Highway Bridge Program (HBP) funds. HSIP funds are competitive based on the severity of the historical crash rate and HBP funds are based on bridge condition.
Paving Rural Roadways
As you can imagine, we get lots of requests to convert dirt roads to paved roads. Despite the budget constraints, over the past several years, we have converted a few unpaved roads to paved surfacing. We usually consider:
- Does the road meet the minimum fire safe width?
- Does the road serve overall emergency access circulation?
- How many residents does it serve?
- Does improving the road reduce our future maintenance cost of the road?
- Is there an existing accident problem?
Maintenance on Rural Roadways
We do not have adequate funding or staffing levels to have crews that frequently cruise every county road. We annually inspect all paved roads to determine Pavement Condition Index (PCI). Some of our remote dirt roads may only be visited once or twice a year for maintenance. Maintenance work on unpaved roadways typically involves activities such as re-grading and placement of base rock, pothole patching, periodic dust control over the summer months, and responding to resident concerns.
To request road maintenance, call our main telephone number: 530-265-1411 (toll-free from exchanges 268 and 269: 888-832-1411). Or submit your request online.
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Trisha Tillotson
DirectorPhone: 530-265-1411
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Public Works
Physical Address
950 Maidu Avenue
Suite 170
Nevada City, CA 95959
Phone: 530-265-1411Emergency: Sewer: 530-265-1555
Hours
Monday - Friday
8 a.m. - 5 p.m