Rural Road Maintenance / No County Support !

[Scrambler82]

Hello to all,

I just posted in the "Another Neighbor Thread"... it got me thinking !

How do others get their neighbors to help maintain the dirt roads they too live on ?

I live on a Rural Dirt Road, not maintained by either the Town or the County. Everyone tends to lend a hand one way or another to help with the up keep; some have Tractors and equipment and some just give a little Fuel Money to assist, but most of us help out in some way !

My question for your opinions is, "How do you get neighbors to pitch in, especially the ones that think the road fixes itself AND that they don't have to do anything except use it" ?

Thx for reading, and for any comments.

Ltr

 

[Lnk]

Hello to all,

I just posted in the "Another Neighbor Thread"... it got me thinking !

How do others get their neighbors to help maintain the dirt roads they too live on ?

I live on a Rural Dirt Road, not maintained by either the Town or the County. Everyone tends to lend a hand one way or another to help with the up keep; some have Tractors and equipment and some just give a little Fuel Money to assist, but most of us help out in some way !

My question for your opinions is, "How do you get neighbors to pitch in, especially the ones that think the road fixes itself AND that they don't have to do anything except use it" ?

Thx for reading, and for any comments.

Ltr

Easy, when you fix it, leave the ruts in front of his house on his side of the road. Those that contribute, get a nice smooth road, those that don't, don't.

 

[randy41]

where i live there's a property owners association whose board oversees road maintenance. its paid for by the collection of annual dues.

 

[RNeumann]

It’s the reality of where you live. If the community doesn’t have an HOA or road maintenance agreement no one has a legal obligation to help or pay. Other than a letter stating time and costs with a suggestion for each you are stuck.
Another reason to do your do diligence before you purchase property.......

 

[Industrial Toys]

Drive something that doesn't matter what the road is like and let someone else deal with the inevitable BS. If it works out well, pay your share and count your blessings.

 

[oosik]

Hmm - where I live you MUST have primary access to your property off a government maintained road system. Now, this does not mean the county must maintain the HOA roads within a subdivision. The HOA maintained roads must dump out onto a county maintained road system.

If you have a shared driveway - it's up to those who share the driveway to maintain it.

What it means - you CAN NOT have your driveway dump onto a non- government maintained road. It Ea WA there are scads of roads that exist that are maintained by nobody. They can be identified by a sign at their beginning say something like - "non-maintained road, no warning signs".

And, believe me, there are NO warning signs. No speed signs, no "curve" signs, no RR crossing signs - simply no signs what-so-ever.

 

[Scrambler82]

where i live there's a property owners association whose board oversees road maintenance. its paid for by the collection of annual dues.

The HOA is for and has, a Road Maintenance with a Fee, $600/yr, ok to me too much for what is actually done but we'll live.
Funny how on the other side of the HOA, where the Board of Directors live, the roads are paved !

It’s the reality of where you live. If the community doesn’t have an HOA or road maintenance agreement no one has a legal obligation to help or pay. Other than a letter stating time and costs with a suggestion for each you are stuck.
Another reason to do your do diligence before you purchase property.......

The HOA and its Road Fee stops at his property line, that is where we get together to fix the road the rest of the way to the County Road that is paved. The Neighbor came out the last time, the few of us that fix the road, were out checking things out. He had all kinds of suggestions, one of the other neighbors said to him, "Try the out and if it works we can use the idea on the rest of the road". He quickly depart the group... funny !

Hmm - where I live you MUST have primary access to your property off a government maintained road system. Now, this does not mean the county must maintain the HOA roads within a subdivision. The HOA maintained roads must dump out onto a county maintained road system.

If you have a shared driveway - it's up to those who share the driveway to maintain it.

What it means - you CAN NOT have your driveway dump onto a non- government maintained road. It Ea WA there are scads of roads that exist that are maintained by nobody. They can be identified by a sign at their beginning say something like - "non-maintained road, no warning signs".

And, believe me, there are NO warning signs. No speed signs, no "curve" signs, no RR crossing signs - simply no signs what-so-ever.

My driveway is my drive only, the Neighbor wanted to use it to maintain his property that is all, but he just assumed he had the right to use it... NOT... but just ask, I'm not a complete A-hole !
The Main Dirt Road, is not County maintained nor will it ever be because the County will not take it over unless it meets minimum specifications... it would take a lot of money and time to get it to "Minimum Specifications" and we can't get everyone together to fix the road little lone do a major repair.
I've spoken to the County Road Manager, he talked to me and I left with more information than I needed but not a happy trip.

As far as Speed Signs... watching the road from my higher vantage point you would get the idea that no one knows how to drive on a dirt road... wet and things get really nasty fast, people do not understand the faster you drive the more maintenance the road needs... and the more work it takes to repair it but if everyone isn't paying for the repair then no one cares.

I always wondered, "Do people think the State comes in and fixes the road", I know... "They may think their Taxes pay for the repairs"... The County wouldn't even give me DG to fix the road properly. I told them they could use my lower area by the road as a stock pile area, I said to just dump the DG and our group will fill and grade the road, NOT ! I start to wonder why I moved to SoCal.

Thanks for the replies !

 

[bunyip]

We are not allowed to touch them, a local farmer was on his tractor between paddocks on a dirt road and used his bucket to fill in some pot holes, the local council tried to fine him.
It was unsuccessful but one has to question what motivates the council, it was not as if the farmer was doing any harm, just back dragged across a really rough patch for the neighbours.
Council grades it twice a year and within a week or so it is rutted again, but they are probably busy issuing parking tickets in town for those who commit such heinous crimes as parking just over the line.

 

[Industrial Toys]

It's like a friend that considers the small local cemetary where his Dad is buried not kept up, so he took it upon himself to start cutting the grass. Nope, not allowed! Has to be a paid public employee for liability reasons.

 

[4570Man]

I don’t and wouldn’t live on such a road. They always lead to problems.

 

[airbiscuit]

I live on a 1/2 mile private road with 12 neighbors. Here is what I send out to them each year. ( all but one pay)

Hello,

I have been talking with people on our road about maintaining the driveway. It can quickly become full of washboards and potholes. Often it needs grooming once a week.
I don't mind dragging and grading it, but the cost isn't $0. Last year, I had to buy $75 worth of steel to rebuild the drag.
I have talked with some of my neighbors about collecting $25 each spring from everyone on the road to help with the maintenance. I will not keep any of the money, but it is enough to buy a load of gravel,
If we keep putting gravel wherever the road needs it the worst, it helps the whole road (less likely to drag gravel off the good parts). So, I will be sending out a notice like this each spring.
If you would like to help out this year by sending a check, I sure would appreciate it.


Sincerely,

 

[Scrambler82]

I don稚 and wouldn稚 live on such a road. They always lead to problems.

Thats what I said too until I not only found the perfect house but it was down turn in the market around 2014, and we got an incredible price, so if nothing else we can call it a flip IF we ever sold.

 

[randy41]

a couple of positive things about living on a private road.....not much traffic.....and i can ride the 4 wheeler on the road

 

[GregbkH]

I live on the tail end of a 1/2 mile long easement. There are three neighbors that currently live along it with me. The original land owner who developed and sold his land is still responsible for the up keep although he doesn't live on it. The problem is that he is too old and lacks the proper equipment to maintain the easement. He was expecting the township to take it over but they won't be cause he didn't build the road to code.

I like the idea of keeping it private and have been doing the up keep of it myself. I spray the weeds in the gravel, bush hog the grass on the sides, grade the gravel and snow plow in the winter. I have all the equipment so I do it because no one else will. Nobody offers me any money at all.

I could stop doing it but I enjoy using my tractor and it's attachments and a road that won't kill my automobile.

 

[TractorGuy]

You have 3 choices:
1 - Develop a plan all the neighbors will agree on.
2 - Maintain it yourself.
3 - Do nothing.

I have mowed the sides and graded the road to my house with no assistance for 40 years. One of the home owners that used the least amount of the road kept complaining about the condition but offered to pay a full share of any improvement. The property owner that has 4 rental houses at the end of the road was also interested in some improvements but wanted to pay a single share. I offered to come up with a plan and finance it but I insisted that the cost be divided per household. Our county WILL provide grading for a modest cost so I enlisted them to make a recommendation and do the work. The home owner that initiated the request also wanted to charge a property owner that had no house on his property and wasn't coming and going to the property. I nixed that and stuck to my guns that it be divided per household. I refused to proceed until everyone agreed to those terms. I arranged the whole thing by text so I had a record of what everyone agreed to. The county suggested we top the road with crushed concrete that has worked out well. I paid the county for their part over the phone with my debit card and wrote a check for the crushed concrete when the final truck arrived and dropped. The neighbor with 4 rental houses paid the 4 shares within about 6 months which surprised me. (I didn't put a time limit on the agreement to repay)

I continue to mow and grade with no expectation of support and none is offered. I just like to keep it neat for our use.

 

[cqaigy2]

I always wondered, "Do people think the State comes in and fixes the road", I know... "They may think their Taxes pay for the repairs"... The County wouldn't even give me DG to fix the road properly. I told them they could use my lower area by the road as a stock pile area, I said to just dump the DG and our group will fill and grade the road, NOT ! I start to wonder why I moved to SoCal.

Thanks for the replies !

They actually do probably think the county or state is responsible. To some people, the world is a mystery.

I don't know what DG is, but you don't seem to be that type of person that thinks the county has some sort of special obligation for maintenance of your private party, so i must not understand what you are referring to.


The county here, used to clean out the ditches and it was mostly rock and gravel. You could ask the dump truck driver to dump it on your property, made pretty decent driveway. Then some AH citizen knowingly asked them to dump on a wet land on his property. County got sued, the truck driver reprimanded, as in costing him money and now the county won't do that anymore.

 

[k0ua]

I have to maintain mine myself. About 1/4 mile of gravel road. It is very steep and washes during heavy rains. The two other neighbors live at the start of the road off of the county maintained road. So they are not too concerned about it. I didn't know it wasn't a county road when I bought it. It has a sign and a name, but that doesn't apparently mean anything. It is my problem and my expense. Oh well.

 

[oosik]

My driveway was/is constructed on an easement - 30' by just about a mile long. I, alone, do any/all maintenance. In the beginning it was smooth as a pool table. Folks would brag about how fast they could go..... The dust would rise to unheard of heights.

Now I've learned.... There are strategically located potholes. Folks ***** because they must drive slowly. I just smile and say nothing.

 

[Nikkorott]

My place is also on a private dirt road. It's about 1 1/2 miles long and dead ends. I live around 3/4 of the way down the road and use it less than most of my neighbors. Prior to my arrival there was an HOA but they've been suspended.

When the pot holes and wash boards start to irritate me I run a blade down the road. Every so often another neighbor will drag a harrow that looks like it was designed by Inspector Gadget down the road. Neither of us get reimbursed for doing this. In fact with the last rains we had I was grooming the road and I was blocked by a guy delivering a dozer for the former HOA Manager. I quit what I was doing. The last few days I've been watching to see if this guy tends to the road at all or just uses it to work his property before returning the rental. Hopefully, I'm wrong but I expect that he'll return the dozer without touching the road and in a few months will start asking about restarting the HOA. That's going to be a battle.

 

[Scrambler82]

They actually do probably think the county or state is responsible. To some people, the world is a mystery.

I don't know what DG is, but you don't seem to be that type of person that thinks the county has some sort of special obligation for maintenance of your private party, so i must not understand what you are referring to.

LoL on the World Mystery !
DG = Discomposed Granite, SoCal has a lot of it. I was told is was the best packing material to use on a road, I found a deposit of it in my yard and I am digging it and storing it, for my driveway but have using it for the main road coming by my house because I do not know where to get anything else.

My driveway was/is constructed on an easement - 30' by just about a mile long. I, alone, do any/all maintenance. In the beginning it was smooth as a pool table. Folks would brag about how fast they could go..... The dust would rise to unheard of heights.

Now I've learned.... There are strategically located potholes. Folks ***** because they must drive slowly. I just smile and say nothing.

The Pot Hole idea is the a good one, I will keep it in mind.
I always did strive for a level road and wandered about the speed people would travel over it.
I think I will give your idea a go !

I have to maintain mine myself. About 1/4 mile of gravel road. It is very steep and washes during heavy rains. The two other neighbors live at the start of the road off of the county maintained road. So they are not too concerned about it. I didn't know it wasn't a county road when I bought it. It has a sign and a name, but that doesn't apparently mean anything. It is my problem and my expense. Oh well.

I was told when I purchased my house, that the road will be taken over soon by the county and it would keep it graded but they thought it wasn't going to be topped with asphalt; I could live with that but so far, five years later, nothing has been done and as I said earlier, the county says they will not be even looking at it until it is up to "Minimum Specifications" who's Minimum Specifications are we talking about.
My Driveway is 1/4 mile long, I got a quote to grade it for 26K and grade and top it with asphalt for 44K, and if I wanted a drain on one side with the roadway bed tapered to one side it would be 50K... where doe these number come from, it is only 1/4 mile of roadway.

Using those numbers, the main dirt road would cost approximately $170K just to grade and top with asphalt; over 200K if we wanted a drain and tapering of the roadway. What do people think, I know people need to get paid and.. and... but the price !?! So anyway, I haven't tried yet and I am not sure I want to try to get everyone together, I don't think anyone on this road wants to pay to get it fixed up if their share will be in the thousands of dollars and like every road some people won't ever use all of it.

Not sure where this main dirt road will be going, but I will maintain my section with a few added potholes in areas where I watch people fly through, and hope people come together.

Just need to find a supply of "something" to put on top !