Bradley County road committee backs private‑road referral for Ashland Meadows, approves Carolina Lane intake and discusses equipment sales, bridges and paving

The Bradley County Road Committee on an operational agenda item voted to recommend that the short extension at the end of Ashland Meadows Drive be treated as a private road and sent to the county planning commission for formal review, and later approved adding Carolina Lane to the county's 2025 road list.

The decisions came during a broader update from the county road superintendent on equipment, bridges and pavement funding. The committee discussed placing two large excavators on a surplus auction, updated trustees on two bridge projects that remain unfunded, and warned that rising asphalt prices and limited local paving funds have stretched the county's repaving cycle to decades.

The Ashland Meadows item: why it matters

Tom, Road Superintendent, told the committee that surveyor Jim Richmond is working for a landowner, identified as Mr. Bowers, who wants to split some acreage and install a short private driveway off the paved end of Ashland Meadows Drive. Tom said the county's right-of-way measurement does not match the built pavement and that the paved portion is narrower than private-road standards call for. The road superintendent recommended a referral to the planning commission rather than immediate county acceptance.

"I think a private road might be our best bet," Tom said, adding that the paved width is roughly 14 feet rather than the 20-foot gravel base the private-road standard calls for. Tom also told committee members the portion in question likely would require only "maybe a load of rock" to meet standards and that the proposed private road would be limited to three lots now and no more than six under county rules.

The committee moved and approved a recommendation to the planning commission to treat the short extension as a private road and to consider any needed variance on width; the action was a recommendation only, not final county acceptance.

Carolina Lane: county accepts road into 2025 list

Later in the meeting the committee reviewed the draft 2025 county road list and voted to add Carolina Lane to the list for county acceptance. Josh (staff) and other county staff said Carolina Lane had been inspected previously but paperwork had not been completed and that the lane would be included in the packet sent to the full commission for final action.

Equipment surplus and auction plans

Tom told commissioners the road department has four large excavators (referred to in the meeting as "Gradalls"/heavy motorized ditching machines), and that maintenance and parts—especially on machines with Mercedes engines—have become prohibitively expensive. He said a new machine of similar type retails around $555,000, that the department has one older machine (model year 2001'/2002) with fewer electronics it plans to keep, and aims to sell two of the newer pieces.

Tom described diagnostic software and dealer service limitations for Mercedes engines, saying the county must use the dealer's software and parts chain and that a single recent diagnostic call cost more than $700. He said the department will declare the two units surplus and place them on a nationwide online auction with a reserve price, and estimated rough resale value at about $30,000 each (characterizing that as only a guess). The committee agreed Tom should complete the county asset form and place the items on the consent agenda for formal surplus declaration.

Bridges and federal/state programs

The committee heard updates on two bridge projects. Pleasant Grove Place was included in a prior "high priority" (hazardous/high-priority) bridge replacement program and engineering and right-of-way work were done, but the funding pot lapsed and the bridge remains closed. Tom said there is a possibility the project could be let for contract later in the year but there was no guarantee.

The Lower River Road ("Olin Road") bridge is in a federal bridge replacement program the superintendent described as an 80/20 funding arrangement (federal share 80%, local share 20%). Engineering was begun in 2017 and the project has not yet been let; the superintendent said these multi-year federal projects can leave bridges vulnerable while the process proceeds.

Paving funding, asphalt prices and maintenance cycle

Tom briefed the committee on recent paving work and long-term funding pressure. He said the county used a state grant of about $3.6 million to pave roughly 50 miles and that the county now budgets about $1.5 million per year for paving. He gave historical asphalt prices of $17.94 per ton in an earlier period compared with roughly $76'$79 per ton now and said those increases have stretched the county's repaving cycle to several decades for many roads.

"If you live on a county road and your road got paved yesterday, it's gonna be 30 more years before you would actually be due again," Tom said, noting that road lifespans and rising material costs mean the county will need to identify more local funds or seek additional state/federal programs.

Winter storm response, salt usage and interagency options

Tom reported the road department used approximately 500 tons of salt-sand mixture during a recent storm and had replenished roughly 400 tons; he said the county's salt building was full. He told the committee he has struggled to balance county road work with responding to other agencies' needs during storms (schools, nursing homes, EMS, health department). He proposed exploring options for other local entities (for example, school maintenance or the sheriff's office) to acquire small salt-spreader trucks or "soft boxes" so they could handle their own parking-lot and driveway needs and reduce ad-hoc requests to the road department. Committee members discussed costs (Tom said soft boxes are about $7,000) and staffing; the committee encouraged Tom to include truck(s) and salt needs in the upcoming budget request.

Subdivision inspections and narrow, high-growth roads

County staff said the road department and planning staff updated subdivision inspection procedures to require a pre-construction meeting with developers and contractors and new inspection checklists, and noted three subdivisions that have roads cut in and may require intake this year.

Commissioners and residents raised safety and capacity concerns on several narrow country roads, including a recurring complaint about a narrow, blind stretch of 20 Second Street (also referred to as a connection to Freewheel/Free Wheel Road) where growth and new subdivisions have increased traffic and produced vehicle damage. Commissioner Hughes asked that the county formally request city annexation of a small portion of roadway so the city would assume maintenance of that segment in contiguous, annexed areas; county staff agreed to work with the city's staff (City contact: Mr. Varnell) to obtain the annexation/plan-of-services application and return the request to the full county commission for action.

Peach Orchard Hill, a winding route that county staff and commissioners say will be used by traffic from large new developments, was discussed as a longer-term safety and capacity concern that will likely require state-level funding and planning if it is to be widened.

What the committee approved

- A motion to send the Ashland Meadows Drive private‑road request and variance considerations to the county planning commission for formal review and any required variances; the committee approved the recommendation by voice vote.

- A motion to add Carolina Lane to the county's 2025 road list for county acceptance; the committee approved the addition and staff will include the lane in the packet for the full commission.

The meeting included no final county acceptance of Ashland Meadows as a county road; the planning commission retains jurisdiction over private-road variances and subdivision regulation. The committee did not vote to surplus equipment at the meeting; staff agreed to file the county's asset form and schedule surplus items for the consent agenda.

Ending

County staff said they will prepare the formal paperwork needed to move the Ashland Meadows referral to the planning commission, add Carolina Lane to the road packet for the full commission, and prepare the asset form to surplus two heavy machines for nationwide auction. Staff also said they will follow up with city staff on the annexation process for the 20 Second Street segment and that they plan budget requests this spring to address salt reserves, potential additional salt trucks, and pavement funding.