Plowing County Road??

   / Plowing County Road?? #41  
I hate it when people present miss-accurate information in forums. I hate it even worse when it is me. Our total county road budget is $19,000,000. The $373,000 is a contingency fund, usually used for snow removal.
19 million sounds more like it. By the time you figure benefits and all 373k would just cover about 3 guys pay. The truth is there actual budget is still probably not enough.
 
   / Plowing County Road?? #42  
Around here there are a lot of the county roads that are chip and seal with large chuckholes and little maintenance. Some people complained to the highway superintendent about one road and about a week later road equipment showed up and they ground up the pavement to turn it into a gravel road.
I guess they wanted to send a message that there are consequences for complaining.
 
   / Plowing County Road?? #43  
Does anyone go to the meetings to find out the budget and project planning for their areas ? I mean, I was part of several organizations where we did planning and lots of people complain but few ever stick their noses in there and find out the truths about this stuff.
 
   / Plowing County Road?? #44  
They didn't "encourage" us (my neighbor and I). We went to the roads department together a few years ago to complain in person about the horrific washboard that was accruing on the road. I asked them when they plan to grade it since its been months. That's when I learned about their concern about sparking wildfires off their grader blades. They said they wouldn't stop us if we used something like tires and chain-link behind a pickup or tractor. They mentioned that when I said I'd take my back blade down the road.

I completely understand that. I'm not too hip on the idea of burning fuel and time to do something the county should do. But I also understand that my little neck of the woods is very low priority for snow removal since there are very few homes on my road. What's more important to me is getting in and out safely. Especially with my wife's SUV with our small children in the backseat.


What happened last night: I was coming home from a friends house about 9pm. I came down a steep hill doing about 15mph on compact snow, ice, and loose snow. The bottom of the hill goes around a blind corner. I was in 4 wheel drive in my truck. There was a small car, parked just at the bottom of that hill in the road. There was enough room coming down, but people get a run at that hill going up, around that blind corner. IF someone was going up, and picked up some speed going around the corner, they run the risk of plowing directly into that car. Looking at the tracks, the driver of that car couldn't make it up the hill and decided it was a good idea to park it there. I did call crime check (non-emergency police) to report it, as I didn't recognize it and didn't know who it belonged to. Today, the car was gone when I went into town this morning. Maybe, if the road was plowed, the driver of that car would have been able to get up that hill.

Is that my problem? Yes and no. I get a run at that hill, and so does my wife. Or maybe worse, the driver walking down the road at night getting hit.
Complaining to the roads department is like talking to a wall. County commissioners are worse. Besides, I'm not really the type of person that relies on the government to actually solve problems. But I know they will drop the hammer if they think I did damages to the dirt road by removing the snow. I'm torn.
I was persistent with our county commissioner and ask d him to meet me on the road. We set up an appointment, but before meeting I checked with the roads department about the legal maintenance status. I was told it was M2, meaning periodic grading and snow removal. The roads superintendent was a real AH and said it didn’t matter about the status; they would only do priorities. That’s when I set up the meeting with the county commissioner. I explained the road status and also presented him with a letter signed by me and all residents on the road asking that the county execute their responsibilities. The county started maintaining the road after that. A few years later they paved it. The county portion of the road ends at the corner of my property and the road is private for the next 3/4 miles, including 700’ of frontage on my property. I maintain the entire private section plus 1500’ of road on my land, but now I don’t mess with the 1 mile county road section leading to my property.
 
   / Plowing County Road?? #45  
I pull my 6' 3pt blade down and back to the highway. I have my hazards on and it's a blacktop road and if the actual plow passes, they give me a thumbs up. I've even taken care of downed trees on the road after snow storms. In the summer, I mow along the shoulders and the end down by the highway and it looks soooo much better. Again though, no one complains about it.
 
   / Plowing County Road?? #46  
My county road used to be on a school bus route, which meant that our road was plowed quite often. Since the kids that used to ride the bus not longer do so, our road is no longer plowed, like at all. We have had two separate snow events this winter. Each dumped about 6 inches of snow. For some, that's not a ton, for us, that's worthy of sending the grader down the road, which has yet to happen.

My county road is gravel, well, somewhat. Its mostly dirt with some old gravel they put down at least 10 years ago. Its about 3 miles long, with windy twists and turns and steep climbs. Everyone on my road has my phone number and call me when they inevitably end up in the ditch. Even when the road is plowed, they end up in the ditch. I am happy to pull them out using my tractor.

Here I am a few years ago pulling a truck out
View attachment 771827

Since we are no longer getting plowed out, at least in a timely fashion, I am considering running my tractor with my inverted snow blower down the road and back. What are your thoughts on this?

The county has been receptive of us doing our own road "maintenance" during the summer with washboard smoothing. We just cant use a steel blade for fear of sparking a fire, but they recommended dragging tires and chain link fence down the road. But snow removal might be pushing it?

I donno, just a thought. We are expecting another storm soon, that is forecast to dump about 9 inches in a few days.
Your town councilor/Mayor/Road Supt. should assure that your road is being plowed if you pay taxes. Plowing or grading the road yourself leaves you open to huge liability if someone has an accident and blames your road prep or lack thereof. Get a written signed damage waiver before you pull someone out of trouble.
 
   / Plowing County Road?? #47  
Just remind your County, that if there is a fire and the emergency vehicles can’t get to your property, the insurance company may sue them.
When I lived in Barrie Ontario, the 400 highway cut through some township roads making them dead ends, the residents were paying to plow the roads until the insurance company got involved. The township now plows the roads.
There are minimum maintenance standards, so it may take a little longer to get there.
 
   / Plowing County Road?? #48  
Your town councilor/Mayor/Road Supt. should assure that your road is being plowed if you pay taxes. Plowing or grading the road yourself leaves you open to huge liability if someone has an accident and blames your road prep or lack thereof. Get a written signed damage waiver before you pull someone out of trouble.
Then it is the counties fault for not properly maintaining the road.
If they had, I wouldn't have been there in the first place.
If I did it wrong before they got to it, they should have fixed it.
 
   / Plowing County Road?? #49  
My county road used to be on a school bus route, which meant that our road was plowed quite often. Since the kids that used to ride the bus not longer do so, our road is no longer plowed, like at all. We have had two separate snow events this winter. Each dumped about 6 inches of snow. For some, that's not a ton, for us, that's worthy of sending the grader down the road, which has yet to happen.

My county road is gravel, well, somewhat. Its mostly dirt with some old gravel they put down at least 10 years ago. Its about 3 miles long, with windy twists and turns and steep climbs. Everyone on my road has my phone number and call me when they inevitably end up in the ditch. Even when the road is plowed, they end up in the ditch. I am happy to pull them out using my tractor.

Here I am a few years ago pulling a truck out
View attachment 771827

Since we are no longer getting plowed out, at least in a timely fashion, I am considering running my tractor with my inverted snow blower down the road and back. What are your thoughts on this?

The county has been receptive of us doing our own road "maintenance" during the summer with washboard smoothing. We just cant use a steel blade for fear of sparking a fire, but they recommended dragging tires and chain link fence down the road. But snow removal might be pushing it?

I donno, just a thought. We are expecting another storm soon, that is forecast to dump about 9 inches in a few days.
Fascinating. I live in Onondaga County, NY, close to Syracuse, but in a rural part of the county. But I can't relate, because I live on a Federal highway, one of the main east-west routes in the county, so we get plowed first. The state is in charge of maintaining my road, but they pay the county to keep it plowed. And of course the county has their own roads to plow. The county snow removal budget is significant, because we do get a bit of snow in the winter.
P3060041.JPG
A road like you describe would be the responsibility of the township. But we have an excellent town highway department, and it has happened many times that our back town roads have been plowed open long before the tertiary roads in the city of Syracuse have even been touched. We don't have the same problems out here with parked cars, where to pile the snow, etc. I'd much rather be "out here" than "in there."
 
   / Plowing County Road?? #50  
My county road used to be on a school bus route, which meant that our road was plowed quite often. Since the kids that used to ride the bus not longer do so, our road is no longer plowed, like at all. We have had two separate snow events this winter. Each dumped about 6 inches of snow. For some, that's not a ton, for us, that's worthy of sending the grader down the road, which has yet to happen.

My county road is gravel, well, somewhat. Its mostly dirt with some old gravel they put down at least 10 years ago. Its about 3 miles long, with windy twists and turns and steep climbs. Everyone on my road has my phone number and call me when they inevitably end up in the ditch. Even when the road is plowed, they end up in the ditch. I am happy to pull them out using my tractor.

Here I am a few years ago pulling a truck out
View attachment 771827

Since we are no longer getting plowed out, at least in a timely fashion, I am considering running my tractor with my inverted snow blower down the road and back. What are your thoughts on this?

The county has been receptive of us doing our own road "maintenance" during the summer with washboard smoothing. We just cant use a steel blade for fear of sparking a fire, but they recommended dragging tires and chain link fence down the road. But snow removal might be pushing it?

I donno, just a thought. We are expecting another storm soon, that is forecast to dump about 9 inches in a few days.
I would also go to your county Tax office and demand a revaluation to reduce the taxable value of your land by 20%/30%/pick-your-% since you are no longer getting services you are paying for.

bring everyone who loves on your road with you.
 
 
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