August 26, 2024
By: Dwayne Page
Changing surfacing standards for new road construction in subdivisions?
The DeKalb County Regional Planning Commission will have a public hearing during its next regular monthly meeting on Monday, September 9 at 6 p.m. at the courthouse on whether to change the subdivision road standards by removing the tar and chip availability to contractors and requiring that only asphalt or concrete be the standard for road construction.
If approved by the planning commission, the new standards would only apply to new road construction. Roads in existing subdivisions or those over the last five years that has already received at least preliminary plat approval by the planning commission could not be held to the new standards. Those roads would be maintained in the manner they were constructed, tar and chip, etc.
Road Supervisor Danny Hale said by changing the standards, roads would be built better and hold up longer
“When a road is built it needs to be there for 25 or 30 years and that’s why we are changing to this hot mix requirement basically going from a two-inch-thick road to a five-inch-thick road so it should hold the weights and be there for many years to come. We’re just trying to save the county money over the long haul. The contractor would be required to do this and any new roads the county built would have to meet the same subdivision standards. We have a lot of tar and chip roads and we maintain those. Any subdivision built before then that are tarred and chipped we will maintain them the way they were put down. We’re trying to save the county in the long run of having to go back and maintain these roads after four or five years. With hot mix we shouldn’t have to touch them for 25 or 30 years and then all the county would be obligated to do, if its turned over to the county, is bushhog” said Road Supervisor Hale.
“We have been fortunate enough to hot mix a few roads that was tarred and chipped. An example, one of them was Whorton Springs Road. It was about 15 feet wide and tarred and chipped. That road connects two state roads (Highway 56 & 146). Its wasn’t a state aid road but I got it added because it connected two state highways. We widened it to 19 feet and we hot mixed it. That road is now a lot safer. Two big trucks can pass and that hot mixed road will be there for many years longer versus tar and chip,” said Road Supervisor Hale.