Sonoita Crossroads Community Forum
Paving Roads in Santa Cruz County
Background and Issues
John Maynard
Victor Gabilondo
Context
- Approx 730 miles of county maintained roads
- Maintenance funded through "Highway Users Revenue
Funds" (AZ state gas taxes)
- $4.0M in FY06; $4.2 (est) in FY07
- Note: Property taxes are not used for maintenance
Facts and Figures
- 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
Background re Current Discussion with Santa Cruz County
- 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
- SCC prepares dirt road
- Residents assume responsibility for paving & maintenance
- Explore alternative (non-petroleum) surfacing
- Experiment to be carried out over the next several months
- Results will strongly influence road maintenance program
Next Steps
- 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
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