Sonoita Crossroads Community Forum

Paving Roads in Santa Cruz County

Annual cost of grading 1 mile: ~$1,100
- Assumes current labor cost; relatively straight road
Annual cost of chip sealing 1 mile: $14,000/application
- Must be repeated in 2-3 years with a third coat
  - Total cost/mile over 2-3 years is ~ $42,000
- Costs linked in part to oil costs, and thus may rise
- This may reduce the number of roads that are chip sealed
- Other, non-petroleum options may be studied

Some Sonoita residents requested paving dirt roads
- Two of 3 requests were for "primitive roads"
  - Gardner Canyon; Thunderhead
Arizona Revised Statutes specifically preclude use of petroleum products to maintain "primitive roads"
Options
- Have SCC cede road and maintenance to residents
- Cost share with residents
- Explore alternative (non-petroleum) surfacing
  - Experiment to be carried out over the next several months
  - Results will strongly influence road maintenance program

Review the results of non-petroleum sealing tests
County will report expected costs for maintenance based on on-going needs and sealing costs
We will revisit maintenance issues during Q1 2007