Roads
County Operations is in charge of the maintenance of County Roads.
Our contact numbers: 403.357.5396, 403.342.8658 or 403.350.2163.
See our video page for more information on roads and bridges
The following information outlines the strategies and services of Red Deer County's Roads Program.
Road Bans
Effective at 7:00 a.m.,Tuesday March 13, 2012, road bans are in effect as follows:
- Springvale Heights Road (RR 265) from Hwy 595 to Country Lane Estates remains at 75%
- Upper C&E Trail (Red Deer City Limits to Blindman River) remains at 50%
- All gravel roads are at 90% axle weight allowance, unless otherwise posted
- Complete listing of Road Bans: effective March 13, 2012
All accesses to, and roads within, Multi-Lot Residential Sub-Divisions and Hamlets remain at 75% AWA, Excepting paved road within Cornergate Estates Sub-Division at 50% AWA.
For inquiries, call 403.350.2150 for up-to-date road ban information.
Permit approvals can be obtained through Road Data Services at 1.888.830.7623 or 403-341-7466.
Our 10-Year Road Strategy
Council adopted a 10-year Pavement Implementation Strategy in 2007 and a 10-year Gravel Road Plan in 2001. The overall integrity of a road surface and its base are generally weather and traffic related. Therefore, the pavement strategy is based on a priority system to determine which roads qualify as candidates for paving. A major consideration in this strategy is Traffic volume. Traffic counts have historically been performed annually on roads nearing 300 counts. Roads reaching 300 vehicles minimum per average day, as per original surfacing plan, qualify for hard surfacing.
In 2008,council approved a new program, effective 2009 construction season, allowing traffic counts and roads reaching 200-249 vehicles average per day to qualify for hard surfacing. The 10-year Road Plan details County standards for gravel roads. Similar to the pavement plan, the gravel road plan does not take into account divisional boundaries. Improved cost effectiveness and efficiencies can be achieved with the timely repair of roads on an overall County basis rather than on a divisional basis.
Roadway Evaluation
Re-surfacing candidates are identified and prioritized firstly according to the highest degree of affected roadway surface. Secondly by the degree of base failure; and thirdly by the degree of severity. Low priority roads generally become candidates for spot repairs to maintain road integrity. An estimated $3 to $5 million per year is required over the next several years to rehabilitate existing road base and address future road improvements, including road construction.
Grader Routes
The County currently has 13 grader routes/beats, each beat being an average of 200 km in size. In addition, the County has two roving (east/west) graders for busy high maintenance roads.
Re-Gravel Program
Council's directive is to see 31 percent of roads re-graveled annually, as compared to 24 percent pre-2007. This service level improvement is in response to the damage caused by steadily increasing traffic loads and Council's continued commitment to our roads. This program runs on a 3 year cycle.
Spot Gravel Program
Spot graveling is a program designed to meet the localized needs of the grader operators on roads before the re-gravelling program will reach them or on roads that were not scheduled to be part of the program for any given year.
Reclamation
Reclamation is the reshaping of gravel roads to a standard that ensures positive drainage from the road surface, clearing of roadside brush and treatment of localized soft spots in roadbed. The Reclamation Program began in 2004, and has since seen over 350 km (217 miles) of gravel roads reclaimed in the County.
Drainage Program
The wet years of 2007, 2008, and the first half of 2009 brought over 150 drainage issues to Red Deer County's attention. Approximately 100 of these have been completed, but there are still a significant number of projects in the drainage program. The remaining projects will be prioritized, and the county expects to complete the remaining projects in 2010/2011.
The county will also be starting a program which provides funds and expertise to the various drainage societies and districts. Funding will be based on the number of kilometers of ditch and will necessitate landowner cooperation via the Off the Creek program.
Other Road Services
Roadside Spraying, Seeding & Brushing
Agricultural Services has two spray trucks, which allow the County to complete roadside spraying and seeding throughout the county. Spraying assists the local landowners in controlling the migration of weeds from roadways onto private lands and vice-versa. Seeding allows for re-growth of grass in areas disturbed by construction. Red Deer County's roadside brushing program is also a vital component of our road maintenance program.
Clearing the road right of way ditches and back slopes assists in maintaining drainage and allows for more snow storage for snow removal operations. In addition, road surfaces have an opportunity to dry off quicker when there is no shading of large trees and brush in the road right of ways. This also improves safety by enhancing visibility.
Winter Maintenance
Red Deer County's road maintenance contractor utilizes six plow trucks and a grader for snow removal on our hard surfaced roads. This includes the snow removal for subdivisions and hamlets throughout the county. For gravel road snow removal, Red Deer County utilizes the 13 grader routes (beats) to complete the winter snow removal.
Dust Control
The dust control program, which will commence in May with completion in June, can often accommodate as much as 100 requests per year for the subsidized application of calcium on the road.
Bridge Maintenance
The majority of Red Deer County's bridges and bridge sized culverts were built between 1950 and 1970. Since they generally have a 50 to 60 year lifespan, many of the structures are starting to show their age. Red Deer County and Alberta Transportation have a cooperative bridge inspection system intended to catch problems before the public's safety is compromised. A rehabilitation program is also in place which can, in many cases, extend bridge life expectancies at a savings to the taxpayer.
Another ongoing program involves the periodic mowing of grass at the bridge structures. This not only ensures clear sight lines to the hazard markers on the bridge, but also reduces the risk of fire damage to parts of the wooden substructures.
The county's biggest project in the next two years will be the replacement of the existing single lane bridge over the Medicine River at Rge Rd 30. A new two-lane structure (and associated improvements in the adjoining roadway) will be designed in 2010, with the intention to construct in 2011. Any parties interested in salvaging the existing truss should contact the county Operations Department.
Signage
In a typical year, Red Deer County receives on average between 50 and 60 sign requests. Both regulatory and non-regulatory sign requests must go through an approval process.
Guidelines & Specifications
General Construction Specifications 2010
Policies
Road_Ban_Policy_and_Agreement_Forms.pdf
Agreements
Facility Permitting Road Ban Agreement.pdf
External Links
Alberta Transportation
http://www.transportation.alberta.ca/522.htm
