Mountain View County staff are now working overtime to complete planned road re-gravelling before the snow falls.
About 56 per cent of the 2014 re-gravelling program had been completed late last week with about six weeks left in the season if upcoming months bring typical fall weather, said county operational services director Ron Baker.
“The rain is really starting to create difficulties now,” Baker said.
By last Thursday, he said rain had contributed to 10 and a half lost days of gravelling since crews started in June.
To catch up, crews are working five days a week now instead of four, pushing them into overtime hours and pay.
About 98,000 cubic yards of gravel had been used on over 474.5 kilometres of road so far, out of a target of 175,000 cubic yards to be spread this year.
“We need to get this out there,” said Baker. “Gravel on the county roads is crucial.”
Gravel comprises the majority of the driving surface in the county – 1,951.5 kilometres maintained, compared to approximately 822.5 kilometres of chip seal and 36.8 kilometres of pavement.
Re-gravelling prevents further deterioration of roads, helps maintain road safety, and gives operators material to work with when grading road surfaces, he confirmed.
This year's work includes roads that weren't completed last year and were moved into the 2014 program, Baker said.
He said progress so far “isn't so bad” and hopes the weather holds up long enough to reach this year's targets.
Once snow falls, he said attention will turn to clearing.
Greg Weins, director of corporate services says he expects that with more snow than usual this year, it's likely snow removal will be over budget.
The county had spent $2 million on snow removal costs to the end of July. That leaves seven per cent of the budget for the remainder of the year.
