![Archuleta County Road and Bridge staff member Pedro Caraveo works on the recently completed culvert replacement on North Pagosa Boulevard where it crosses Martinez Creek. Road and Bridge Manager Eric McRae commented that Caraveo is one the department’s “hardest working” employees. “[We would like] to give Pedro and all staff members special thanks this year for helping to improve on our team’s production and efficiency as we try to get our roads back up to a more acceptable standard,” McRae comments in a communication to The SUN.](https://cdn2.creativecirclemedia.com/pagosa/original/20240626-195615-9f4-County%20-%20Pedro%20Caraveo%20photo.jpeg)
At a June 24 meeting of the Archuleta County Road and Bridge Advisory Committee, Road and Bridge Manager Eric McRae explained that county roads were impacted by a large number of washouts caused by rainstorms over the last week.
He stated that washouts occurred on County Road (CR) 335, CR 500, CR 917 and CR 411.
McRae pointed toward the washouts on CR 335 and CR 500 as particularly significant, indicating that the washout on CR 335 involved a quarter mile of road and washed into the garage of a person living in the area, while the incidents on CR 500 involved seven washouts over a mile-long section of road.
He emphasized that the impact of these washouts was potentially severe and that they were all connected to previously poor maintenance of ditches and culverts on county roads.
McRae stated that staff have focused on repairs to ditches and culverts this year and that, particularly on CR 500, these repairs had a significant positive impact as they prevented the washouts from severely damaging or destroying the roadway, although they did still reduce the road to one lane until it was repaired.
He added that Road and Bridge is pursuing new measures to help improve drainage.
Those measures include revegetation of banks above ditches to prevent dirt immediately eroding into them and filling them after rainstorms, and potentially purchasing new equipment — such as a hydro excavation truck — to help speed up the process of culvert repairs and other work.
In an interview, McRae commented that washouts will likely continue to be an issue throughout the summer following rainstorms and that any washouts observed should be reported by contacting Road and Bridge so they can be addressed.
He added that washouts are a high-priority issue since they can severely damage roadways and need to be rapidly located and addressed to prevent additional damage.
The county Road and Bridge office is open between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The phone number for the office is (970) 264-5660.
Progress and future
projects
In a communication to The SUN, McRae discusses progress on other work the Road and Bridge Department is performing, including completing initial magnesium chloride application and completing work on the North Pagosa Boulevard culvert project over Martinez Creek.
He states that initial magnesium chloride application is expected to be finished by July 2, a month earlier than last year, and that work will then begin on applying gravel to roads designated to receive it this year.
Following this, McRae explains, staff will work on a secondary magnesium chloride application list, which will apply magnesium chloride to the roads that were left off the initial treatment list due to needing to receive gravel or other reasons.
He states that staff also addressed a downed tree on Mill Creek Road connected to the storms in the past week.
McRae indicates that milling has been completed on the CR 119 (Light Plant Road) resurfacing project and that the road is being prepared for new asphalt this week.
He adds that Road and Bridge staff are working on improvements to roads and parking lots at the county fairgrounds to help prepare for upcoming events.
At the Road and Bridge Advisory Committee meeting, McRae outlined that the Road and Bridge Department will also be performing chip-and-seal work on asphalt in several locations later in the summer, including in the Vista and Lakewood Village subdivisions.
josh@pagosasun.com
