County’s Roads Ok - On Surface Pavement Can’t Withstand Another Budget Crunch

Rural and suburban roads in Spokane County are in much better shape - at least on the surface - than those inside the city limits.

But the 1,500 miles of county pavement could fall apart quickly if this year’s budget crunch is repeated, said county operations engineer Phil Barto.

“Our roads look better than they really are,” Barto said.

Many county roads were paved in the 1950s, ‘60s, and early ‘70s, when engineers paid little attention to preparing the earth to accept the asphalt, said Barto. As a result, some lack a proper bed of gravel and compacted earth.

The improper preparation isn’t too big a problem, as long as the pavement’s in good shape. So, preventative maintenance is key.

Heavy snow early and late in 1996 forced the county to overspend its road budget by $1.6 million.

For this year, county engineers propose making up that money by cutting back on maintenance.

One year of reductions probably won’t make much difference, said Barto. But drivers would start noticing more potholes if the policy has to be repeated.

“Maintenance is a little like painting your house,” said Barto. “If you do it when you have to, it isn’t a bad job. But if you put it off, there’s a lot of scraping and sanding, and it’s a lot more expensive.”

County commissioners say they may ask voters to approve either a local gas tax or vehicle excise tax. The money, available starting in 1998, would go toward building new roads and maintaining old ones, both inside and outside the city limits.

While the paved roads are in relatively good shape, the county’s 1,500 miles of gravel roads “are another matter,” Barto said. “They’re not in good shape at all.”

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