County road crews battling spring thaw
A severe spring thaw has caused puddles such as this one along U.S. Highway 93 in Ronan to form across area roads. (Brett Berntsen/Lake County Leader)
Battling what some have deemed the worst spring thaw in 20 years, the Lake County Road Department is urging residents to remain patient while crews work to make repairs.
“We just need some good weather to dry things out,” department Supervisor Jay Garrick said. “We’re asking the public to try and bear with us.”
Garrick’s department issued a Facebook post last week explaining that record precipitation last fall, coupled with significant ground frost and snow pack in the valley has resulted in a severe spring breakup, rendering some roads nearly impassable.
“The county is working to restore road surfaces on a worst-case-first basis,” the post states.
As the ground thaws, Garrick said traffic “pumps” water to the surface, buckling pavement and creating soupy driving conditions.
Garrick said crews are attempting to drain and grade what surfaces they can, but in many cases remain at the mercy of the elements.
“Some of these areas we just have to let heal up,” he said.
Garrick said the situation is the worst he’s encountered during his four years working for the county, while department veterans claim it’s the most severe spring break since 1997.
Garrick said the large workload and limited resources have stretched his department thin.
“We operate on about 15 cents to the dollar compared to neighboring counties,” he said. “And we have a lot more roads.”
The fact that many rural roads were built using unstable topsoil does not help efforts either, Garrick said. In some spots across the county, Garrick said the only thing holding surfaces together is a thin layer of pavement.
“It’s like driving on a crust,” he said. “You can feel it moving underneath you.”
Garrick said his department has been rebuilding problem sections in the past, but such work must wait until summer.
“If we were to rip through right now we would just be making a much bigger hole,” he said.
As crews hold out for drier weather, the department has implemented load limits on all chip-sealed roads and marked hazardous areas with red flags. To report unmarked hazards, drivers are encouraged to call 883-7206.