County officials are continuing an approach of prioritizing maintenance of paved roads over unpaved ones, following an unusually intense winter season.
State highways are first priority for plowing and repairs, said Hillsdale County Road Commission Manager Bob Griffis said. “Numbered highways, M-99, M-49, M-34, US-12, and US-127. Then paved primary roads are next, followed by paved local roads, subdivisions, then gravel roads.”
The county’s 587 miles of gravel roads present unique challenges to the road commission, Griffis said.
“Cold temperatures, frost, and freeze-thaw cycles are what kill the gravel roads,” he said.
This winter has been more challenging than usual, according to Griffis.
“The extreme cold, coupled with the heavy rain, caused significant potholes and wet areas on both gravel and paved roads,” he said.
For maintenance throughout the winter, the approach is a simple plowing, he said.
“If icy conditions are present, we will use a material for grit to aid in traction. We only use salt or chloride under severe icing conditions because the salt will turn the road into a muddy mess, which normally causes worse conditions than leaving it alone,” he said.
Hillsdale resident Britt Owen, who has lived on a dirt road for most of his life, says he appreciates the rural lifestyle, even if the road is not in perfect condition during wintertime.
“I have four-wheel drive on my truck, so I can get around pretty much anywhere around here,” he said. “Plus, people don’t speed as much. I’m probably in the minority, but I like my dirt road life.”
Owen acknowledged that maintenance on his road doesn’t reach the standards of paved streets, but he said it has never prevented him from traveling. He said conditions have remained consistent over the years and credits the road commission for doing a reasonable job given its funding constraints.
“We don’t have the budget that neighboring counties have,” he said. “We’re a small, rural county, and we have small, rural roads, and a lot of folks will complain about it, but I’m good with it.”
Owen’s neighbor, Timothy Wells, associate vice president for administrative affairs at the college, agreed local residents accept the realities of Hillsdale road maintenance. From his experience, side roads receive care comparable to paved ones in winter.
“Our dirt road is plowed with sand put down,” Wells said. “In the winter months, from my experience, side roads feel prioritized in a similar fashion as paved roads.”
Owen said Hillsdale does fine without urban-level road maintenance.
“I was born and raised in a county similar to Hillsdale, in that there’s no freeways or highways,” Owen said. “In my time here in Hillsdale County, if there’s somebody here from outside the county, they’re either something to do with the school, something to do with family, or they’re here to go hunting. There’s not a whole lot of other stuff. The antique shops maybe over in Allen bring some people in, but it keeps it kind of quiet. And I like that a lot. If the roads aren’t perfect, that doesn’t worry me.”
Griffis said visiting drivers should be more cautious in the winter.
“Slow down, drive for conditions, and don’t be distracted,” Griffis said.
