Road Maintenance Work Program Approved by Board

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, June 22, 2010

At its June 22 meeting, the Washington County Board of Commissioners approved an annual road maintenance work program that includes paving or sealing almost 80 miles of roadway. (See work program summary.)

Each year, the Department of Land Use and Transportation prepares a road maintenance work plan for approval by the Washington County Board of Commissioners. The plan identifies maintenance activities that preserve the public's investment in the county's transportation infrastructure, providing the highest level of service possible within the resources available.

A draft version of the work program was made available for public review earlier this year. Public comments were considered in development of the approved work program.

The Washington County Board of Commissioners guides development of the annual work program through the Road Maintenance Prioritization Policy adopted in Policy 21 of the Transportation Plan. Roads in the major roadway system are the highest general maintenance priority. Maintenance of local roads is a lower priority because they carry less traffic and serve fewer residents.

Road maintenance is funded primarily by gas tax. Washington County receives a portion of the state tax on gasoline, large truck weight-mile fees and vehicle registration fees. The county also collects a local one-cent-a-gallon tax on gasoline and other fuels for motorized vehicles.

The voter-approved Urban Road Maintenance District (URMD) funds maintenance on local neighborhood streets in the urban unincorporated areas of the county - streets that are "below the radar" for other maintenance funds and have no city to take care of them. Property owners in the URMD are assessed 25 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation for maintenance of local roads. URMD also helps fund the Neighborhood Streets traffic calming program.

Two citizen advisory committees work with county staff and advise the Board of Commissioners on issues related to road maintenance. The Rural Roads Operations and Maintenance Advisory Committee reviewed the draft 2010 Road Maintenance Work Program at their March meeting. The recently established Urban Road Maintenance District Advisory Committee is still accepting membership applications.

To view the work program document or to find out if a particular road is scheduled for road maintenance in the 2010-2011 fiscal year, visit the Washington County Roads Web site at www.wc-roads.com and click on Annual Maintenance Projects.

For more information about county road maintenance or to report a road-related problem, please call (503) 846-ROAD (846-7623), e-mail [email protected], or submit an online service request.

Related: 2010-2011 Road Maintenance Work Program (PDF)

Washington County is committed to 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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