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Commissioners weigh gravel mixtures and grading as recent rain leaves county roads rutted
Summary
Fallon County road staff reported newly placed gravel is rutting badly in recent heavy rain and freeze-thaw cycles; commissioners discussed removing fines, mixing scoria at a 10:1 ratio, and scheduling additional work to improve winter access and reduce future maintenance needs.
County road staff described widespread rutting and poor performance of recently laid gravel after an unusual pattern of heavy rain followed by freeze-thaw conditions. Staff said crews applied a thin scoria layer over new gravel on several roads, but the combination produced slushy, rutted surfaces when the ground was saturated. "When it comes to rain, it's a 100% better," one commissioner said comparing scoria-treated roads, while road staff explained the applied mix is typically 10 loads of gravel to one load of scoria and that tailgating at roughly 35 mph helps the mix blend.
Commissioners discussed possible remedies, including asking the contractor (Noel) to remove some fines, add additional aggregate, or mix scoria into the larger pile to improve long-term performance. Staff noted they cannot grade many roads now because of seasonally frozen ground conditions. They also discussed planning to revisit some roads in March and whether to adjust future specification to avoid repeated poor performance in similar weather cycles.
The commission agreed to continue short-term repairs where access is critical, survey the most damaged stretches for priority work, and coordinate with the road supervisor and contractor to test adjustments to the mix and application methods going forward.
