County roads crews begin spring shoulder-retrieving and grading program

County road crews have started seasonal shoulder-retrieving and grading on gravel and larger roads, a county roadway supervisor told the Board of Supervisors during the March 18 meeting.

The official described shoulder retrieving as a spring practice in which a small disc pulls built-up rock, dirt and grass from the roadway edge back into the traveled lane to improve drainage. Crews follow with grading and spot-rock hauling to reshape roadway crown and repair soft spots.

"This does allow us to, take a small disk and actually fold into the shoulder rock and debris at the edge of the roadway and, just, overall maintain some better drainage to the road," the county road supervisor said. He said two of nine grader operators were currently set up for shoulder-retrieving and that the county aims to do a full mile re-rock of about 18 to 20 miles per grading district when budgets and weather allow. He estimated roughly 280 to 300 tons of rock per mile for a full re-rock.

Staff cautioned residents the shoulder work can create short-term mess at the roadway edge as dirt and grass are reincorporated; crews will continue to grade and add new rock over several weeks to smooth the surface. The timeframe for completion varies by road condition, when the last work was done and weather, but staff said the process typically takes several weeks in affected areas.

The supervisor said the county is exploring more extensive regrading options and internal approaches to reshape right-of-way more fully in some sections, and asked that residents direct questions to the county roads office if they have concerns about specific locations.