Mccaslin Agrees With Rockford Folks About Bad Roads

Rockford residents told Spokane County Commissioner Kate McCaslin what county officials have been hearing for years: Fix our roads.

She said she’d like to do just that.

“Roads and road maintenance are close to the top of the list,” among this year’s spending priorities, McCaslin told about 50 people who on Tuesday night packed the small city hall building in Rockford.

The meeting was a result of McCaslin’s 1996 campaign promise to get out into the community. She started the town-hall style meetings last spring. Tuesday’s gathering was the first of this year’s quarterly forums scattered across the Valley.

McCaslin called on support from Public Works Department officials to answer questions about road building, plowing, grading and funding for road improvement districts.

About three-fourths of the people there Tuesday came to voice concerns about Big Rock Road, a steep, winding six-mile stretch of gravel off the Palouse Highway.

“I’ve lived here for 11 years, and nothing has been done to the road. You can’t let it go and go and go,” said Tom Young, who lives on Big Rock and drives a school bus over the same route.

Residents complained increased development has generated more traffic. With the recent rains and melting snow, areas are just one big pothole. The narrow, steep stretch has a 20- to 30-foot drop on the side without guardrails, they said.

McCaslin called on Bill Johns, county engineer, to explain rural road projects and concerns over Big Rock Road.

He said residents could form a road improvement district to fund road repairs and improvements.

For now, the county is just trying to get rural roads up to the point they can maintain them, he said.

“We would like to have all roads up to speed, then maintain them.” Johns said.

Of the 3,000 miles of road the county maintains, half are rural routes, he said.

The county has $55 million pledged toward roads this year. Of that, $30 million will be spent on new construction.

McCaslin promised she would take the Rockford residents’ concerns back to the county, and keep in contact with residents.

Unfortunately, with lack of funding, roads are taken care of in crisis times.

“We’re just trying to put out fires,” she said.

, DataTimes