In order to keep Bryan County’s dirt roads well-maintained and safe for passage, the Public Works crew recently worked on building up the roads with fresh dirt. The project is essential as it helps to keep water off the roads and redirects it to ditches, which means road conditions hold up better.

First, the crews re-established ditches or swales to improve drainage, installed or replaced cross drains, and then hauled in fill dirt to raise the roads high enough so that surface water won’t build up during rainy periods, according to Public Works Director George Allen. The re-building process includes crowning the road so water runs off of it and into a ditch or swale. Some sections of road were built up 2 feet or more to prevent surface water build-up.

Nearly 4,000 pounds of sand and crushed concrete were added to over 29 roads in the north and south ends of the county, including Dunham Marsh Trail, Jake Brown Road, Indian Trail Road, Otterhole Branch Road, George Edwards Road, Pine Barren Road, Red Bug Road and several others.

The work is tedious and takes time, according to Allen, who said it took about three days to build up about 900 feet on Dunham Marsh Trail alone.

“The wet weather we’ve had lately has contributed to many of the problems we’ve faced. Many of our roads were built low and sometimes flood out under rainy conditions. Proper construction, maintenance and drainage are all critical to an unpaved road handling the effects of weather and traffic,” Allen said.

The Public Works Director added that he and his team are committed to the continuation of a solid maintenance and inspection program to better serve all of Bryan County. On Feb. 18, they went live with a new asset management system approved by the Board of Commissioners. The new software will help Public Works service Bryan County’s roads on a more timely basis by establishing better routine and preventative maintenance programs.