Post by Poor Richard on Dec 8, 2021 21:21:29 GMT -7
High South Glastonbury Roads
Dangerous and Poorly Maintained
Dangerous and Poorly Maintained
The Glastonbury Landowner's Association recently spent a record $59,000.00 for South Glastonbury fall road maintenance. Usually, fall grading is around $20,000.00. In 2021 the board fired the Road Committee Chair and then failed to elect a new one. Spring road grading was never done. The highest South road maintenance was not completed in 2019. Much work needed to be done so the bill was expected to be higher than normal. $30,000.00 was thought to be reasonable.
Hercules Road was graded in October. Donations allowed for 20 twenty-yard loads of Durgan Road Mix gravel to be deposited between Dry Creek Road and SpecTec on the corner of Polaris and Hercules. For the first 30 days, the road looked smooth and was a pleasure to drive on. That changed quickly after a little precipitation fell. Washboards started to appear in familiar spots. Unfilled potholes grew larger. Shallow ditches started to collapse and fill in. On December 5th we drove from Dry Creek Road, up Hercules to the end of Sagittarius Skyway. Below are photos of what we saw.
Hercules Road was graded in October. Donations allowed for 20 twenty-yard loads of Durgan Road Mix gravel to be deposited between Dry Creek Road and SpecTec on the corner of Polaris and Hercules. For the first 30 days, the road looked smooth and was a pleasure to drive on. That changed quickly after a little precipitation fell. Washboards started to appear in familiar spots. Unfilled potholes grew larger. Shallow ditches started to collapse and fill in. On December 5th we drove from Dry Creek Road, up Hercules to the end of Sagittarius Skyway. Below are photos of what we saw.
Washboards already cover Hercules Road from edge to edge. It appears that the road mix was spread too thin and that the road surface was not properly prepared. If the original surface was graded down 6 to 12 inches then the fresh gravel could have rested on a more stable and long-wearing base.
This corner is on a slightly uphill section of Hercules. The gravel has broken up and many small pieces litter the road. Plowing and everyday travel will soon push the loose gravel off the sides of the road while further breaking down the fresh road mix. Deep grading and an application of Magnesium Chloride would have prevented washboards from forming so quickly and held the gravel in place.
This stretch of Upper Hercules past SpecTec has not been properly graded since 2019. The washboards spread from edge to edge and have created dangerous driving conditions. The road here is only 1 1/2 lanes wide. A vehicle must pull over to allow an oncoming car to pass. Washboards cause a vehicle to lose traction with the road and start to bounce. On a snow and ice-covered road the danger of losing control is greatly magnified. This is a downhill section of the road that quickly makes a sharp turn.
Potholes were left to widen and deepen on Upper Hercules Road. This one is 8 inches deep and two feet across. By spring it will double in size. Potholes litter the road from SpecTec all the way to the end of Sagittarius Skyway.
Frost heaved rocks create a danger for snowplows. The blade can catch the rock and destroy the expensive cutting element. Twenty yards of gravel was requested to cover this protruding rock on Sagittarius Skyway. Just ten yards was delivered. It was spread too thinly and the rock is now uncovered.
On this very dangerous section of Sagittarius Skyway water has flowed down the center of the road and eroded a 4 inch deep and foot-wide path. Ditch work was requested for two miles of Sagittarius Skyway. Just 500 feet was completed. The grader pushed the ditch dirt up a steep slope on the right side and then left it there. Rain fell and the ditch started to fill up with hillside sand and rocks. The road here is just one lane wide and a 300-foot cliff is on the left side. Guardrails have been requested many times from the GLA but no action has been taken.
While photographing High South road conditions we inspected multiple guardrails along Hercules Road. All are in poor condition and in dire need of maintenance. This post has completely rotted away at the base. Note the fresh snow under the four rotted corners. A timber that was used to help support the guardrail lies in the foreground.