A road not yet accepted into the county road system which is in a developing subdivision had been repaired, and Collins was unsure if the county would require this portion of the road to be tested to ensure it would last.
“It would make sense that you would need [a test],” committee member Terry Caywood said.
Subdivision regulations do require all roads to have tests completed to ensure the road will not crack under average daily use. However, tests are usually conducted on random sections of the road. Whether a second test is required for a section of road that has already had problems and been fixed was not settled at the meeting.
Debra Jenkins of the Bradley County Stormwater Department said this is something she would need to ask County Engineer Sandra Knight.
“If the ground is actually bad and all you’ve done is thrown a little bit of gravel or asphalt on it, it’s going to fail again and the county is going to have to pay for it,” said Gloria Hayes of the road department.
The county does get a one-year guarantee on any subdivision roads adopted by the county, according to Collins. If a road section does not hold up in that year the developer would have to pay for the repairs, not the county. Collins suggested adding to the current guidelines that the road testing could not be conducted without a county inspector present. Subdivision road inspections before a road is adopted by the county are handled by the stormwater division, according to Collins.
“We put it in stormwater [division] because stormwater is a big part of development,” Collins said.
Collins said another testing issue in the past had been testing companies choosing parts of the road they knew would give a favorable report in order for the road to pass. Caywood said perhaps the Commission should “develop some guidelines on, so they can’t pull that kind of stuff.”
Collins also said the regulations should require subdivisions to build a cul-de-sac at the end of each phase.
Road committee chairman Mel Griffith said the committee should discuss the issue with Knight and county planner Corey Divel before making any changes to the current regulations.
The committee also heard an update on fixing a curve on Peach Orchard Hill Road. The road is scheduled to be resurfaced. Collins said the road department will be using asphalt with granite in it to provide more traction on the road surface.
