Thoughts on roads
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The Buzz
Buzzy the Buzzard
I always read Ms. Ruby’s column. And I often wonder why some roads get more maintenance attention than others. Is it the squeaky wheel syndrome, with the road department responding to complaints?
In my experience, the department responds when and if or whatever. I really don’t think there is a systemic approach.
Every property owner, not just every resident, has a right to access. We pay taxes for access roads. Historically, preventive maintenance; like mowing for visibility, fixing drainage problems, or providing adequate surface for the level of use; takes a backseat to emergency fixes, like downed trees, washed out culverts and pothole patching.
By the way, that continuous pothole patching makes for an irritable surface over time. My cousins say other counties re-surface instead of continuous patching.
I did note that County Road 63 will be closed to through traffic and re-surfaced with asphalt instead of chip seal. Chip seal is that thin layer of glued-on fine gravel that degenerates into potholes quickly. How did this road qualify for special attention?
A few flyovers illustrated that this is an alternative route to Central Alabama Wood Products and that the log trucks probably use it to avoid the frequent weigh stops and the intersection of highways 9 and 22. Part of the problem here is that the State Troopers are really predictable and really seem biased toward log trucks.
Don’t mess with those log trucks. And quit blaming them for the condition of the roads. What do we grow here? Timber is the nature of our community. While I would like to hear your thoughts on roads, the road department should hear from you, as well.
Love,
Buzzy
