Road drainage, my Saturday ride

 Since being on the Roads Commission I have of course been paying a lot more attention to roads, not just here but in general as I drive. Randy Budreau and Norm Pierce, who have a lot of experience in the field, kept pounding the fact that drainage and water issues in general are a big factor in deterioration. For me this road project was and is a learning process as we move forward. Drainage last year should have been handled prior to the longer paving runs rather than after. Some of the shouldering is still not complete.
 Something else has really been noticeable. We will never completely win this shoulder drainage issue. Even where the shouldering is complete with new gravel all it takes is one car driving with wheels on the gravel edge and we have an indentation next to the road. Water puddles in the indentation and sits there, slowly sinking in to undermine the base. This happens everywhere, not just here. Take a look on any rainy day (like Saturday was) and you will see this on county road shoulders that have just been reshaped as well as here. This is an ongoing battle we will continue to wage to the best of our ability but we will never stop puddling, only control it to a degree. Our commission will again meet in February or March to make plans for next year's work. There are some good experienced guys on that commission and you can bet they will do their best for you. Hopefully I will also learn from them as I have tried to do in the past year.
Ken Dillenburg