LAKEPORT >> The Lake County Public Works Department presented its road construction program during the Board of Supervisors meeting this week.
Assistant Public Works Director Lars Ewing gave the presentation, which summarized work in process or completed from last year and plans for the next two years.
This year, Ewing explained that multiple chip sealing projects and bridge maintenance throughout the county will be completed, as well as some road repairs, sign maintenance and striping. These will account for the majority of pre-scheduled work. Other projects, such as emergency repair, are completed on an as needed basis.
“Bridges and chip seals are the county forces bread and butter,” Ewing said. However, sidewalk repairs in Clearlake Oaks are also included for completion.
All the projects are funded through the Federal Highway Bridge Program, State Transportation Improvement Program, State Gas Tax Reserves, Local Subdivision Development Mitigation Funds and Local Geothermal Development Mitigation Funds. Federal Community Development Block Grants, local funding, as well as federal and state Safe Routes to School programs also help pay for the projects.
“One of the things government gets accused of is not promoting the work they do, oftentimes because we are busy,” Public Works Director Scott De Leon said. “So do this report every year to show what we have done.”
In total, there are 615 miles of county maintained roads in the region. In all, 490 miles of those are listed as paved, with the remaining 125 being unpaved.
Last year, the county used a chip seal project on Butts Canyon Road in Middletown as an experiment. With the hope to increase the longevity of the work performed, the county placed a fabric underneath the chip seal.
Other projects completed in 2014 included maintenance on Victoria Street in Lucerne, slide repairs on Soda Bay Road in Kelseyville and repairs to the Hilderbrand Drive Bridge over St. Helena Creek in Middletown.
“You’re getting a lot done with a little bit,” District 1 Supervisor Jim Comstock.
The comprehensive, hour-long report included staff and contracted projects on county maintained roads, but naturally did not include projects out of the county’s realm of responsibility. Projects slated for state highways will be introduced separately.
Also not included in the report were recurring activities such as road grading, vegetation management, ditch clearing, pothole patching, sign maintenance, bridge maintenance, snow removal and paint striping.
No action from the board was required, but the Supervisor stated their appreciation for the department’s work.
