GENERAL INFORMATION

Gravel Road Questions and Information - Updated 09-23-08

County Engineer's Report on Gravel Roads
In September of 2008, the County Engineer gave a comprehensive presentation on the condition of the gravel roads in Washington County. The full report is comprised of three sections and is available below:
Gravel Roads in Washington County: "An analysis of the condition, engineering solutions, and policy options for sustaining the gravel road system.
Section I: Condition Analysis (presented 09/02/08, 0.7 MB)
Section II: Engineering Solutions (presented 09/23/08, 2.4 MB)
Section III: Policy Options (presented 09/30/08, 0.5 MB)
 
Rock Hauling Update:
Washington County has spent its full rock budget for this fiscal year. We will begin hauling rock again in July.
Month Rock Hauled Rock Cost Cumulative Monthly Rock Haul Location Maps
January 5,634 ton $46,480 January Map
February 207 ton $1,707 February Map
March 15,664 ton $129,228 March Map
April 25,552 ton $210,804 April Map
May 44,561 ton $367,628 May Map
June 5,405 ton $38,033 June Map
July 9,906 ton $81,725 July Map
August 11,596 ton $95,667 August Map
September 32,572 ton $268,719 September Map
October 12,015 ton $99,124 October Map
November 4,572 ton $37,719 November Map
December 71 ton $586 December Map
       
Total 2008 112,647 ton $1,377,420  
       
Why are the roads so bad this year?
This was an exceptional winter. As you are aware, the frequency and nature of the storms from Thanksgiving through April caused many long days for our maintenance crew did significant damage to the roads in Southeast Iowa. Coupled with a very soft and rainy spring, our gravel roads suffered extensive damage.
 
Do you know my road is muddy and needs gravel?
In January, our staff drove every road in the county, and marked locations that were damaged because of the two ice storms in December. At that time, there were over 700 locations identified that needed work. You can view the map of damaged locations submitted to FEMA in January 2008.
In May and June, the Engineer's Office drove every road in the county to inspect its condition. The office is preparing a report to discuss future maintenance plans (and costs) with the Board of Supervisors.
I heard you presented a plan to fix the gravel roads to the Board of Supervisors this spring. Where is it?
An emergency plan was presented addressing the immediate gravel road issues to the Board of Supervisors in March 2008. That plan included a map of spring contract haul locations .
 
We have many new homes in the rural area, what happens to those taxes?  Don't they pay for better service?
In short, income from property taxes has not increased as fast as expenses have increased. In 2007 the amount of local property taxes in Washington County going to Secondary Roads was $1,501,000. In 2008, that will only increase to $1,533,000, or an increase of $30,000. That increase will not even cover the increase in fuel cost to the department, let alone providing additional services.
A new home that sells for $200,000 will generate about $4,000 in property taxes. Only $380 (less than 10%) of that will go towards the Secondary Roads.
Why does Johnson County have more money for roads?
Road funding is based on many things including miles of road, number of bridges, traffic counts, population, and tax base. Although Washington County has a similar number of roads and bridges, Johnson County has substantially higher traffic counts, a larger population (120,000 people in Johnson County versus 22,000 in Washington County), and a much larger tax base. The Johnson County Secondary Road budget in 2007 was $10,181,000. Washington County Secondary Road budget was $5,609,000 for the same year.
How have the rise in costs affected our roads?
Construction and maintenance costs have risen dramatically over the past 5 years. For example, fuel costs have doubled (increase of more than $200,000 per year) and gravel prices have gone up more than 25% (increase of more than $250,000 per year). Health insurance, new equipment, salt, concrete, and steel costs have all increased significantly faster than our income. In general, our maintenance costs have risen 6% per year, while our revenue has increased at 1.8% per year.
The loss of buying power in our department has meant delays in road maintenance, elimination of some new construction projects, and closing of some bridges. All the while, rural road traffic volumes continue to rise.
What is the effect of the heavier trucks and equipment that we have on the roads now?
The amount and size of traffic both continue to increase in Washington County. There are more semis on gravel roads than ever. Heavy loads do an especially large amount of damage when the ground is soft during the spring thaw.
Why do you put less rock on the roads?
In the past four years, Washington County has put an average of 130,000 ton per year on our gravel roads. In the ten years prior to this, Washington County put an average of 97,000 tons per year on the roads. We are placing more gravel now than ever before. View a GRAPH of our rock hauling history .
Is the type of road stone that we are using the best for the conditions?
We are limited on the type of stone to what is available. In Washington County we have limestone (not gravel) so that is what we use. Transportation costs make hauling in gravel from long distances cost prohibitive.
Does the limestone you use have too much fine rock that does no good?
Washington County uses larger stone (2" road stone) in the muddiest spots and as a base for the heavier traveled roads. We use 1" road stone for general road maintenance. The fine materials in the rock are very important because they "tie down" the material. If you have no fines, the limestone acts something like marbles and tends to rut and scatter (into the ditch).
How much rock is put on the roads? How does this compare to the property taxes residents pay? View a GRAPH of this information .

Year

Gravel Tons Hauled

Tons per Mile

Price per Ton

Cost

Property Tax Income

Percentage of Property Tax Spent on Gravel

1994

71,998

107

$4.88

$351,051

$1,085,717

32%

1995

98,717

147

$5.06

$499,415

$1,091,726

46%

1996

90,187

135

$5.25

$473,539

$1,130,663

42%

1997

119,787

179

$5.47

$655,514

$1,138,825

58%

1998

92,731

138

$5.72

$530,153

$1,171,914

45%

1999

93,235

139

$5.95

$555,130

$1,244,189

45%

2000

72,897

109

$6.21

$452,895

$1,386,965

33%

2001

121,697

182

$6.48

$789,181

$1,467,162

54%

2002

107,904

161

$6.75

$728,034

$1,456,972

50%

2003

100,203

150

$7.04

$705,826

$1,499,105

47%

2004

148,366

221

$7.29

$1,082,086

$1,388,572

78%

2005

122,695

183

$7.60

$933,074

$1,411,125

66%

2006

130,041

194

$7.92

$1,029,717

$1,473,854

70%

2007

118,566

177

$8.26

$979,355

$1,500,898

65%

2008 *

est. 155,000

est.
231

$8.67

$1,340,400

$1,833,313

73%

* Based on 2008 Budget; includes a $300,000 one Time Additional Assessment for 2008.

Why are the gravel roads in some areas of the County in better shape than those further away?
Many things affect the condition of our roads including amount of traffic, type of traffic, hills, and materials in the roadbed. Flatter roads are easier to maintain and shed water better. Roads that were well constructed (and don't have a lot of top soil in them) also hold up better. Roads near rivers often have a lot of sand in them making them difficult to maintain.
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