MOHAVE COUNTY – For some Mohave County drivers, it will be “smooth sailing” and less wear and tear on their vehicles due to a recent approval of an agenda item by the Board of Supervisors at their monthly meeting.
The County’s Road Division currently maintains more than 2,000 miles of roads of which 802.96 miles are paved. However, because of the recent approval by the Board of Supervisors, more than 30 more miles will receive soil stabilization and/or construction starting in the fiscal year 2019-2020.
The roads for soil stabilization and/or construction include:
• 5 miles of Shinarump Road from Aztec Road to Laguna Road at the cost of $430,000;
• 2 miles of Bolsa Road from Egar Road to Gilbert Road at the cost of $95,000;
• 2 miles of Eagar Road from Agar Fria Drive to Chinle Drive at the cost of $100,000;
• 1 mile of Tapeats Drive from Egar Road to Guthrie Road at the cost of $60,000;
• 1.2 miles of Bowie Road from Chino Drive to Aqua Fria Drive at a cost of $60,000;
• 1.2 miles from Aqua Fria Drive from Bowie Road to Highway 93 at a cost of $60,000;
• 8 miles of Cottonwood Road from Highway 93 west toward the Black Mountains at a cost of $400,000;
• Construction of .65 miles of Pierce Ferry Road from Lloyd Street to Ironwood Drive with 3 lanes and sidewalks and a 1-mile multipurpose path on Pierce Ferry Road from Ironwood Drive to the Mt. Tipton School at a cost of $928,290 (being paid for through Programmed Federal Funds and requires the County to only pay $52,912 or 5.7 percent);
• Construction of 10 miles of Pierce Ferry Road from Mile Marker 11 through 21 with centerline and edge line rumble strips at a cost of $346,400 (being paid for through Programmed Federal Funds requiring no cost to the County); and
• Construction of 12 miles of Courtwright Road from Dike Road to Golden Shores (CR 1 Terminus) with centerline and edge line rumble strips at a cost of $433,980 (being paid for through Programmed Federal Funds requiring no cost to the county.
“All of the roads currently listed on the County’s Five-Year Road Plan have been pending for many years, except for Cottonwood and Shinarump Roads,” said Mohave County District 4 Supervisor Jean Bishop. “During our discussion during our monthly meeting, we decided to add the two roads to receive soil stabilization during Fiscal Year 2019-2020.”
The average cost of soil stabilization is between $60,000 and $80,000 per mile, depending upon how much has to be done to bring the road up to grade. The normal paving of a road with new asphalt, versus soil stabilization, costs about $350,000 per mile.
“Soil stabilization Program is where the road is brought up to grade, millings are applied and then heavy equipment is rolled on the surface to compact the material,” said Mohave County Public Works Director Steven Latoski.
“We have already begun realigning and grading Shinarump Road west of Aztec Road,” Latoski said, “in order to ensure the road coincides with the property owner easements for the county are taken into consideration.”
According to Mohave County officials and Arizona Statutes A.R.S. 28-6705 that is very specific regarding the maintenance of roads, they can only maintain a road to the standard at which the County received it; e.g., if it was a gravel road, they can only maintain it as a gravel road and cannot improve a road unless it has been designated a County Highway.
People interested in knowing more about bringing their road into county specifications and their road being accepted into the County’s Road Maintenance Program, soil stabilization, having a road paved with asphalt, can visit Mohave County Public Works at 3715 Sunshine Drive in Kingman, visit with website on www.mohavecounty.us or give them a call at (928) 757-0913.
