Growth has positive, negative aspects

By  Richie Beyer
County engineer

Elmore County’s unprecedented growth has both positive and negative aspects.  One of the negatives deals with unpaved or dirt roads.  Many people flee the hustle and bustle of the city for relaxed country living, often leading to the purchase of property on an unpaved road.  Citizens relocate to a picturesque piece of Elmore County along one of our 300 miles of dirt roads serving varying volumes of traffic.  After a few months, when the “new” wears off and the associated ills of living on a dirt road rear their head, is when most people begin the quest to have their road paved by the county.
In a perfect world, the County Commission could authorize and fund a dirt road paving program to address all the unpaved roads in the county.  Unfortunately, the reality is the Commission faces not only trying to make improvements to dirt roads but also must address the mounting number of paved roads that are reaching a critical condition and need resurfacing.  The Commission is utilizing its limited funding to address the large investment the county has in its paved road system while at the same time trying to chip away at dirt road improvements.
To utilize the county’s resources most efficiently, the Commission has adopted a policy that would implement measures to provide structure to a dirt road improvement program. The plan requires landowners on a dirt road to file a petition with the County Engineer to include the signature of all legal landowners from the road.  The petition would inform residents that in order for their road to be scheduled for improvements, all required right-of-way would need to be donated by the landowners to the county, all utilities would need to be relocated to accommodate the new roadway, and the road would be surveyed & designed by the county prior to any improvements.  These requirements are designed to place the county’s limited resources on making improvements to the selected dirt roads.  When numerous roads compete for priority, criteria such as households served and traffic volumes determine priority.
While this policy will help identify unpaved roads that the county can improve in a cost effective manner, it is not a cure all.  This is just the first step in the process of putting a program in place to address these types of roads and improvements of this nature take time, years in fact, to accomplish.  Citizens who live or are planning to live on a dirt road understand that the muddy, dusty, and sometimes washboard road conditions are inherent to dirt roads.  Elmore County is not alone in its plight of dirt road maintenance.  Mobile County has a link on its web page discussing this very issue (www.mobilecounty.org/publicworks/what it means-dirt.htm.).
NOTE:  Due to numerous inquiries regarding Elmore County’s Dirt Road Policy, the Elmore County Commission periodically runs this article to inform citizens of the county’s policy.