Future of Ringgold County Sealcoat Road System

Future of Ringgold County Sealcoat Road System

Open Forum Meetings2011

Credit for assistance in this presentation to Brad Skinner, Page County Engineer, and Larry Mattusch, Field Engineer, APAI

The Perfect StormMother Nature - Summer floods of 2008 and 2010

The Perfect StormMother Nature – Harsh winters in 2008 and 2010

The Perfect StormIndustry - Larger and Heavier Vehicles



The Perfect StormDecades of inadequate funding

The Perfect StormDecades of inadequate funding – 2.5% avg. ann. growth last 12 years

The Perfect StormDecades of inadequate funding – 2.2% avg. ann. growth last 12 years

The Perfect StormSkyrocketing Expenses – Sealcoat oil 22.3% annual increase

The Perfect StormSkyrocketing Expenses – Sealcoat chips 8.4% annual increase

Band-aid repairs – Shortsighted & Unsustainable

Example of throwing good money after bad…

This work will be erased with a plow during the first snowstorm

If funding has not kept pace with construction costs, what has been sacrificed?

• Hiring freeze – In the last three years, the department is down five employees, or 21%. Positions of future retirements are expected to remain vacant.

• Bridges – Eight bridges have been closed since March 2010. Only one has been replaced.

• More cracks and potholes on pavements, gravel patches appearing on sealcoats, gravel roads shorted on rock, and washouts on dirt roads have not been fixed.

Converting pavement to gravel $11,700 per mile

Construction Costs – 2011What do different surfaces cost up front?

Seal Coat (double seal) $55,000 per mile

HMA (3”) $200,000 per mile

PCC (8”) $500,000 per mile

Dirt $800 per mile per year

Maintenance Costs – 2011What are different road surfaces’ life cycle cost?

Gravel $3,700 per mile per year

Sealcoat $8,700 per mile per year

Pavement $23,400 per mile per year

Ringgold County Bridges Closed Since March 2010

Ringgold County Sealcoat RoadsAll 75 miles beginning to unravel at once

310th Street east of

Redding


P32 south of Delphos


P64 north of J55


P68 south of Kellerton


Sun Valley Entrance

(310th Ave)


P64 south of Ellston


220th Ave between Mt Ayr & Loch Ayr


J23 east of Diagonal

Key Questions for the Public

• What county road system does the public want?

• What county road system does the public want to pay for?

• What county road system does the public need?

• If funding from the state does not meet the needs of the county road system, what does the public want to do?

Ringgold County Primary Road System

Ringgold County Secondary Road System - Paved

Ringgold County Secondary Road System - Sealcoat

Segments of 1-3 miles were evaluated. Items considered in this evaluation include:

1.Traffic Count2.Road Classification (FA, FM, local)3.System Continuity (connectivity of major routes)4.Proximity to a Town5.Number of Residences6.Number of Businesses/Churches7.Terrain and Maintenance Issues

Sealcoat Road Point System

After considering the above criteria and vehicle types on each existing sealcoat road, a new long-term surface type was selected:

HMA Pavement 25.0 Miles Sealcoat 25.8 MilesGravel 24.6 Miles

IMPORTANTWithout an increase in funding from gas taxes or local funding, it is anticipated that the level of service will have to be adjusted to GRAVEL on ALL sealcoat roads.

Sealcoat Road Point System

Improvements if $9 million bond passes

If bond fails, all 75 miles of sealcoats return to gravel

• If $9 million bond fails• Nothing. No additional taxes• As the sealcoat roads continue to deteriorate, they will

be converted back to gravel when public safety becomes an issue.

How much more will I have to pay?

• If $9 million bond passes• Residential property examples

• $73 per year for $50,000 assessed value• $145 per year for every $100,000 in assessed value

• Agricultural property example – 40 acre, CSR of 42• $41 per year for 40 acre tract

• Commercial property – $290 per year for $100,000 assessed value

• For all classes, cost will be similar to line item “General Supplemental” on your property tax statement.

• $9 million bond

What are the bond details?

• 2.75% interest rate

• 15 year term

• $740,332.56 annual debt service

• Results in additional property taxes approximately equal to the amount paid under the item “General Supplemental”

• $2,104,988.40 of total interest paid at end of 15 years

• 110 miles of seal coat roads in 2009 – The Page County Engineer reported at the time about half of them look like mine fields.

• Held public meetings to educate the public that revenues are not keeping pace with costs, and maintaining all miles of sealcoat roads was no longer sustainable.

• Page County Engineer reported in August 2011 that about 30 miles of sealcoat roads have been converted back to gravel so far, with more to follow.

Example of similar situation to the west…Page County Downsized Sealcoat Road System in

2009

• Union County – In the past couple of years, issued two sets of bonds totaling approximately $7 million for secondary roads projects.

• Three new bridges• Paved some sealcoat roads (Iris Avenue)• Resurfaced some pavements• $500,000 of rock for gravel roads

• Taylor County – This year, has proposed a $6 million bond for paved road resurfacing projects totaling 35 miles.

What are other counties doing?

• The Board of Supervisors has directed a special election be held November 8th for the public to decide the fate of the sealcoat road system.

• November 8, 2011 polling places• Benton• Diagonal• Ellston• Kellerton• Mt Ayr• Redding• Tingley

What happens next?

What is the sealcoat road system worth to you?

Documents

Future of Ringgold County Sealcoat Road System