Pay Now or Later: Tips for Saving Road Dollars for the Long Haul
You've heard the oil filter advertisement from the not too distant
past: "Pay me now or pay me later." Spend a little money
up front and you will realize long term savings. Failing to spend
the extra money up front will result in costing you more money later
on. The same can be said about managing roads.
Towns and cities invest a lot of money building roads, bridges
and culverts. Even in a small town these structures are worth millions
of dollars. It makes good fiscal sense to spend extra time and money
up front if that expenditure will save many dollars in the long
term. The following are tips for municipalities that may be helpful.
Road Management Plan
Do you know how many miles of roads are in your town? Their
condition? Do you know those roads that give the road foreman fits
because of poor road base, mud or poor road design? Do you know
how many culverts you have in your system of roads? The size of
each? Their type? Their condition and when they should be replaced?
Do you have a handle on bridge conditions and the danger some of
them may present to the traveling public? If you cannot answer these
and similar questions, can you be sure you are making the best decisions
possible about where to spend road dollars?
Towns with a road management plan can answer these questions and
more because they have taken time and spent a little money to gather
all the data they can about town roads. The first step is to inventory
the roads, their length, width, surface type and other basic data
such as culvert locations and the condition of each. The next step
is to make an assessment of the condition of each. Knowing the surface
condition tells you what is causing the types of failure. Gathering
this data, with the valuable input of the road foreman and crew,
gives the town, perhaps for the first time, a composite "picture"
of the town road system. The two steps may take four to six weeks
depending on your town's road mileage. Some towns do it themselves
or hire the regional planning commission, residents or college students.
Once you know the road problems, you can then assign remedies
to each. One road may need some crack sealing while another might
need rehabilitation. Knowing the remedies, you can assign estimated
costs to accomplish the tasks. You can assign priorities, one road
improvement over another. When you establish your budget for the
first year, you know what projects you can do and which ones to
postpone to another year.
A road management plan also makes you good managers. Taxpayers
will be able to see the basis for decisions and they can buy into
the plan.
There are many programs available. The Maine Local Roads Center
conducts training in one called the Road Surface Management System
(RSMS).
Build Quality*
Road Commissioners tell stories about finding tree stumps and
automobiles under town roads. Generations ago these materials probably
saved the town money in hauling costs and provided a reasonably
good base for the traffic of the time. Over the years, however,
the road never worked right. Successive town crews spent lots
of extra time and money trying to keep the road reasonably functioning.
Apparently the road foreman or board of selectmen years ago did
not learn the lesson of the three little pigs.
You remember the story. The first two pigs built houses using
cheap materials - sticks, straw and mud. The structures qualified
as houses but they did not stand. The third little pig invested
extra time and money to build a strong house for the long haul,
a quality house of bricks. The third little pig knew that long service
life has a better pay back. We were supposed to learn the lesson
of building things well the first time.
European road engineers have learned the lesson. They pay attention
to providing good drainage, they use good quality materials, apply
a generous thickness for every pavement layer, carefully inspect
the construction and require a guarantee from the road builders
that the road will perform to a high standard for many years. Here
in the United States, we have failed to adopt this principle for
our roads and we have an increasing inventory of old, worn-put highways
on our hands. The wolf is at the door.
If we build roads only 10 percent thicker, it will yield 50 percent
more fatigue life. Spending a greater portion of our money on providing
good foundations and road drainage than we are now is good road
management. Cheaper is not better. Building roads and culverts to
last may mean a bigger cut in the town budget today. It may mean
the town doesn't accomplish all it wants to do. But it is money
well spent over the long haul because the road is build to last
and is less expensive to maintain.
Drainage and Erosion Control
A retired professor of Civil Engineering once said, "If you can't
afford anything else, at least take care of your drainage.
In fact, the three most important aspects of any road are "drainage,
drainage, drainage". All road foremen and engineers agree.
Building and maintaining drainage is the single most important consideration
for road commissioners. Water is the road's enemy. It is conquered
by proper road crown, adequate, open ditches and culverts and free
draining soils in the road base. This takes thought before building
a road and requires regular maintenance throughout the year. The
roads we build properly today can be proudly passed on to future
generations.
An instructor started a workshop on drainage by saying "This
workshop is easy. All you have to remember is that water runs down
hill." When the laughter subsided he asked the roads people
present how many of them knew that water runs down hill. Everyone
raised their hand. He then went on to say, "All right. If you
know water runs down hill, how long do you allow standing water
to remain in roadside ditches?"
"If you know water runs down hill, do you clean sand, leaves
and other debris from ditches and culverts on a regular basis? Drainage
should have a priority ahead of seal coating and other routine road
maintenance."
"If you know water runs down hill, do you use geotextile
to separate the poor, spongy material that appears during mud season
from good quality gravel? Or, every year, do you dump load after
load of gravel and stone into the mud never to see it again? Spend
the money on geotextiles in these areas and you will realize immediate
benefits."
"If you know water runs down hill, do you line ditches
having greater than a 5% grade with rip rap? Stone-lined ditches
are stable and can withstand lots of rushing water. Unprotected
ditches and banks wash away, cause damage, clog culverts and ditches.
Eventually you have to collect the material and haul it away."
"If you know water runs down hill, do you leave exposed,
bare soil on side slopes and in ditches? Simple precautions like
mulching and seeding prevent silt and debris from entering streams,
ponds and lakes. Society pays a tremendous cost when public waters
are polluted, when fish can't survive and people can't swim."
Each of the instructor's suggestions takes a bit more time and
money up front. But the effects of taking better care of drainage
are beneficial and save money in the long run.
Include Safety in All Projects
According to the Maine Revised Statutes Annotated, Title
23, each town has the responsibility for
providing safe roads. When planning to upgrade a road, consider
how to make it safe for the traveling public and include those safety
items in the project. Paving a gravel road, for example, invites
motorists to travel faster. Think about the adequacy of the road
shoulders, roadside trees, other obstructions and dangerous curves.
Equally important is to upgrade regulatory and warning signs, make
sure they are erected according to the Manual on Uniform Traffic
Control Devices (MUTCD). Get some advice as to whether guardrails
are necessary. Apply road markings as soon as possible after paving,
if warranted.
Training**
Savvy managers recognize that training is an investment, not an
expense. Investing in training for road personnel has many long
term benefits.
Benefits to the Town: Training saves money by improving
the quality of employee's work and decreasing the number of mistakes.
Employees work smarter when they understand why things are done
certain ways. Training reduces costly turnover. Safety training
reduces accidents. Training in equipment operations and maintenance
prolongs the life of expensive machinery. Knowing how to properly
grade a road saves gravel. There are many more examples.
Benefits to Managers: Trained workers need less supervision.
Training puts workers in touch with many people in their profession.
Trained workers can provide valuable suggestions for solving problems
and saving time and money. Cross-training reduces problems created
by personnel shortages, including those created by vacations and
illness.
Benefits to the Individual: Well-trained employees feel
good about themselves as well as their work. They have higher confidence
in their knowledge and abilities. Morale is higher because they
feel involved. They feel part of a team and appreciated. Trained
employees are motivated to gain more knowledge and skills.
Think Before You Pave
Before paving a road, make sure you are willing to accept the
higher long term costs of a paved road. A well-built gravel road
that received regular maintenance is very serviceable. Make sure
to build roads from the bottom up. Paving over a road with inadequate
base composed of poor gravel is a waste of money. Make sure drainage
items are well designed and installed properly - ditches, culverts
and headers. Make the extra investment testing the soils that comprise
the base material. The wrong soil can lead to premature breakup
of the pavement. Asphalt mixes differ so make sure the pavement
is designed properly.
Use Good Housekeeping
Well maintained roads, bridges, equipment and buildings reflect
pride. The road crew earns the respect of taxpayers who in turn
will have greater confidence in how they treat new facilities. Keep
buildings and equipment neat and clean. Routinely clean debris from
culverts and bridges. This not only keeps bridges from corroding
but make them look good. Paint the concrete on new bridges with
linseed oil and mineral spirits to extend the life of structures
by many years. Keep signs and markings in good condition. Cut brush
for visibility and safety.
Create Policies and Keep Good Records
Keep ordinances and policies up to date. A traffic ordinance governing
weight limits, signs and parking is essential for enforcement. Policies
for driveway permits and for snow and ice control reflect good management
and promote public understanding. Comply with the design standards
of the Manual on Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and the safety
standards of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Since we pay attention to what we measure, know what things cost.
The Municipal Equipment Management System (MEMS), for example, helps
in tracking equipment costs so you know the most beneficial time
to trade it in. MEMS can spotlight the "gas hogs" among your vehicles.
Keeping accurate records of materials and labor costs allows you
to report knowledgeably to the taxpayers.
Adapted from the Vermont Local Roads Program, 1998
* Thanks to Professor Lynn Irwin, Civil Engineering Department,
Cornell University, for part of this discussion about building for
quality.
** Adapted from an article by Kathy DesRoches, NH Technology
Transfer Center, in the quarterly newsletter Road Business,
Winter, 1994.
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