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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFoster Road Backup InfoRoad Department 61150 SE 27th St. • Bend, Oregon 97702 (541) 388-6581 • FAX (541) 388-2719 DATE: October 20, 2010 TO: Board of County Commissioners FROM: Tom Blust, Director RE: Foster Road — Consideration of Acceptance for County Maintenance The Board of County Commissioners met with officers of the Beaver Special Road District approximately one-year ago to discuss the District's request for the County to assume maintenance responsibility for the paved portion of Foster Road. At that meeting the Board directed the District to develop a proposal wherein the District would retain or share some of the maintenance responsibilities for the road. The District met with their members and developed a proposal including the following provisions (per letter to the Board date November 3, 2009 — attached): 1. The County accepts the paved portion of Foster Road into the County road system and assumes responsibility for maintaining the roadbed. 2. The District continues to fund and contract for snow removal, a significant portion of the District's annual budget. 3. The District continues its current programs of weed control and litter removal. 4. The District continues to monitor the road and make efforts to rectify situations that could affect the integrity of the roadbed. (Example: the District has worked with property owners and the Forest Service to block unofficial drives and off-road trails). The Board and the District agreed to update the traffic counts on Foster Road during the summer months to verify the volume of through traffic vs. local traffic (i.e. generated by the District). These traffic counts were done in June of this year (see Background information below). Background Foster Road is a public road right of way running generally north -south between South Century Drive and La Pine State Recreation Road. Foster Road is classified as a rural collector roadway in the County's Transportation System Plan (adopted in 1998). The road right of way crosses private, Forest Service and BLM lands (see attached map). Foster Road is approximately 4.4 miles in length — the northerly 2.1 miles are paved, the center section is dirt and the south end is gravel. The dirt portion of the road is often impassable during the winter months. The northerly section of Foster Road, from South Century Drive to Beaver Drive, was paved through a Local Improvement District (LID) in 2008. This LID was formed after the 2006 road establishment moratorium was in place. The Board made an exception to form the LID with the stipulation that the Beaver Special Road District would continue to maintain the road. The road maintenance stipulation was clearly spelled out in the LID Engineer's Report and was discussed at the public hearing for formation of the LID (documented in the meeting minutes). October 20, 2010 Foster Road Page2of2 Traffic counts done in late June of this year show an average daily traffic of 198 vehicles on Foster Road. The traffic count south of the paved portion was 64 vehicles per day. This indicates that on average 68% of the traffic is generated from residents within Beaver Special Road District (or north of Beaver Drive) and 32% is through traffic from the south. The through traffic is likely to drop dramatically during the winter months when the dirt portion of Foster is difficult or impossible to negotiate. Roads with volumes below 400 vehicles per day are considered very low volume roads. The difference in traffic volume attributable to the through traffic will have virtually no impact on the cost to maintain the roadway (snowplowing, crack sealing, chip sealing and other routine maintenance costs are relatively fixed regardless of whether there are 200 or 1000 vehicles per day on the road). Discussion The current moratorium on the acceptance of new roads (Resolution 2009-118) was adopted by the Board in response to the county's projected shortfall of resources to meet the Tong -term maintenance and preservation needs of the existing road system. The Resolution, while continuing the moratorium on acceptance of new roads (in place since 2006), allows for the acceptance of arterial and collector roadways at the Board's discretion. It was felt that it would be in the best interest of the public to accept and maintain those roads that are of county -wide or regional significance and deemed essential for operation of the county road system (e.g. 19`h Street extension, Deschutes Market realignment/overcrossing). Argument in favor of acceptance: Foster road was constructed to county standards and paid for by the Beaver Special Road District residents. By accepting Foster Road for maintenance, the county would ensure that the investment in public infrastructure is adequately maintained. It is possible that there could be some cost sharing of the maintenance responsibility as outlined in the District's proposal discussed above. Maintenance costs will be relatively low in the short-term (first five or six years). Argument against acceptance: The county clearly does not have adequate resources for the long-term maintenance of additional road mileage. The county made it clear to the Beaver Special Road District property owners that Foster Road would be the Road District's maintenance responsibility upon completion of the LID. Foster Road currently functions as a local access road primarily serving the Beaver Special Road District. Acceptance of Foster Road would not appear to meet the intent of Resolution 2009-118, allowing the Board discretion to accept only those roads that are deemed essential for the operation of the county road system. If the county were to take over maintenance of Foster Road the average annual cost of maintenance would be $31,500 ($15,000 per mile). Recommendation The Road Department recommends against taking over maintenance of Foster Road at this time. At some point in the future, when the entire length of Foster is improved (from South Century to La Pine State Recreation Road), the road will provide a significant system benefit (versus a local benefit). It would then make sense for the County to accept road maintenance responsibility. Beaver Special Road District P.O. Box 3281 Sunriver, Oregon 97707 November 3, 2009 Board of County Commissioners 1300 NW Wall Street Bend, Oregon 97701 SUBJECT: Cooperative Agreement allowing acceptance of County Maintenance of Foster Road Dear Commissioners: On October 28, 2009, the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners held a workshop to discuss a variety of issues, including the possible assumption of maintenance responsibility for the paved portion of Foster Road. Charlie Jones and Bruce Stendal, officers of the Beaver Special Road District (the District), and Bob Dryden, a resident of the District, attended the workshop. After a lively discussion, the Commissioners directed the officers of the District to develop a proposal in which some maintenance responsibilities would be retained by the District. The District's Board held its monthly meeting on October 29, 2009 and passed a motion to develop a proposal for the Commissioners' consideration. The proposal is outlined below. Background Foster Road is a public road right of way, running between South Century Drive and La Pine State Recreation Road. It is classified as a Rural Collector Road in the Deschutes County Transportation Plan (adopted, 1988). In 2008, the residents of the District approved a Local Improvement District levy to pave 2.1 miles of Foster Road to County standards. Residents accepted a levy of $6301 per lot, a total of $604,901. Work was completed in September 2008. The paved portion of Foster extends from South Century Drive to Beaver Drive. The north end of Foster is graveled and the central section, which crosses Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land, remains unimproved but has been passable throughout the year for at least the last four years as evidenced by daily traffic from both ends. Since the paving was completed, traffic on Foster Road has increased. Because it connects LaPine State Recreation Road to South Century and Sunriver, it is now seen as a viable alternative for through traffic. The County conducted a traffic count in late October of this year which indicated a majority of traffic was bound for the Beaver Drive neighborhood. The count was short (perhaps only one day) and does not agree with anecdotal evidence. Informal counts by residents during the spring and summer months indicate a majority of travel is through traffic. Foster Road traffic includes Deschutes County school buses, delivery trucks, FedEx and UPS trucks, contractors with truck and trailer rigs, Forest Service and BLM vehicles, as well as a large number of private vehicles accessing recreation sites, neighborhoods, LaPine and Sunriver. District Board members have visited informally with drivers and often hear comments such as, "Now that you have paved part of Foster Road, the road is much more inviting." Beaver Special Road District - Proposal for Foster Road Maintenance November 3, 2009 — page 2 The District proposes the County accept maintenance responsibility for the roadbed and pavement of Foster Road based on the following: 1. Foster Road was built to county standards with surveying and inspections completed by county personnel. The road has a two-year guarantee and should not need major maintenance for at least five years after that. 2. The paving was financed by the residents of the Beaver Road Special District, at a cost of $6,301 per residential lot. 3. Foster Road continues to function as a year-round rural collector road, a criteria for acceptance into the county road system. Traffic during spring, summer and fall months has a high count of through traffic. 4. Resolution 2009-118 allows "the acceptance of arterial and collector roadways at the Board's discretion." The District acknowledges the County has had significant funding issues affecting the maintenance of its current roads. The District also acknowledges the following: 1. The county has received an increase in federal forest payments which will last two more years, as well as an increase in state tax and vehicle fees. 2. The District requests the acceptance of only the paved portion of Foster Road, a new roadbed. PROPOSAL Beaver Special Road District and Deschutes County enter into a cooperative agreement for the maintenance of the paved portion of Foster Road that includes the following conditions: 1. The County accepts the paved portion of Foster Road into the County road system and assumes responsibility for maintaining the roadbed. 2. The District continues to fund and contract for snow removal, a significant portion of the District's annual budget. 3. The District continues its current programs of weed control and litter removal. 4. The District continues to monitor the road and make efforts to rectify situations that could affect the integrity of the roadbed. (Example: the District has worked with property owners and the Forest Service to block unofficial drives and off-road trails). This proposal is submitted with the full support of the District's Board of Directors. Board members are available to meet for further discussion or answer any questions. Your consideration is appreciated. Respectfully, Charlie Jones, President Beaver Special Road District (541) 593-6954 BIG RIVER DR 0 Legend 2,000 Foster Road - County Roads 1 Beaver Special Road District ettttttttr. PAVED Road Centerlines Public Land �•• ROCK _J River State of Oregon • DIRT 1 , Taxlots BLM US Forest Service 4,000 6,000 Feet The information on this map was derived from digital databases on Deschutes County's G I.S. Care was taken in the creation of this map, WI it is provided"as is'. Deschutes County cannot accept any responsibility for errors, emissims, or pasldonal accuracy in the digital data or the underlying records. There are no warranties, express or implied including the warranty of merchantability or fitness far a particular purpose, accompanying this product However: notification of any errors will be appreciated Printed: October 13, 2009 Deschutes County Rodd Depdrtment Ctruw ++r John Anderson GIS Specialist • Ema t I7dK� ]esia: .,Rs: � u nor :res' ezt la IS3:C :7/154 3,014 91' V70.2 P:WrcGIS_Projects\Area Map\Foster Rd