Spring Ridge Roads
Let's STEP UP and fix this problem.
Success!
Gilchrist County has stepped forward to solve this problem THE RIGHT WAY.
Defective materials? Poor workmanship?
Whatever the cause, it was a mess.
In 2023, after years of conflict between property owners and county officials, an agreement was reached to rebuild roads in the Spring Ridge subdivision, literally from the ground up. It was a good plan. Property owners were excited, and County Commissioners supported this plan overwhelmingly.
Unfortunately, the end result of this project was NOT what the county promised us. Roads in some areas of Spring Ridge were actually in worse condition than they were before the project began… yet property owners have already been paying for this substandard project through increased taxes, and will be doing so for the next 20 years despite the fact that we did not receive what we paid for and what the county promised.
It shouldn't be THIS EASY to dig through a solid, newly-paved road.
Even we were shocked by this.
Lee intended to use his garden spade only as a "point of reference" to show the depth of this depression... unexpectedly, the spade dug right into the "pavement" with very little effort.
This wasn't the road we asked for.
This wasn't the road we were promised.
WE NEEDED TO MAKE IT RIGHT.
It shouldn't be THIS EASY to dig through a solid, newly-paved road.
Even we were shocked by this.
Lee intended to use his garden spade only as a "point of reference" to show the depth of this depression... unexpectedly, the spade dug right into the "pavement" with very little effort.
This wasn't the road we asked for.
This wasn't the road we were promised.
WE NEEDED TO MAKE THIS RIGHT.
They Worked With Us On A RESOLUTION.
There’s no denying that mistakes were made in the first attempt at Spring Ridge road reclamation. Huge mistakes. Anyone could see it. Everyone who drove these roads could feel it, too.
County officials blamed defective materials. Many Spring Ridge residents blamed both the materials and workmanship. And both groups cited the lack of inspections or follow-up on concerns as the paving project was completed.
But to their credit, both residents and county officials decided to set the “blame game” aside. Rather than dwelling on fault-finding, everyone focused on solutions. Meetings between contractors, road engineers, county officials and involved citizens resulted in a plan to fix the roads… the right way.
- A plan was developed.
- Contractors were invited to bid.
- A winning bidder was chosen.
- Final negotiations were completed, and a contract was signed.
- And now, WORK HAS BEGUN!
Please take six and a half minutes to watch this video.
This video tells and shows what's happening, starting right now on the roads in the Ranchettes area of Spring Ridge. It also includes some information from the contractors on how the project will proceed, and additional information about work schedules and driveway work.
They're doing it the RIGHT WAY this time.
The road reclamation project involves these steps.
- Sweep the roads VERY THOROUGHLY, removing all of the loose and unbonded materials, leaving only the limerock and the millings that have solidified. This now becomes the solid base for our roads.
- Apply what’s called a leveling course. They start with an emulsion (bonding agent) followed by a type of paving product that is engineered to fill and smooth the gaps, cracks and ‘washboards’. With the condition of our roads, there’s no question, this is absolutely necessary.
- Finally, top this with a layer of hot mix asphalt – the layer we’ll drive on.
Fixing these problems that are now baked-in to Spring Ridge roads won’t be easy, or inexpensive. But road engineers and county officials recognized that any “cheap fix” plan would have failed to provide the quality and durability that Spring Ridge property owners have paid for, and will continue paying for a period of 20 years.
You came through for us.
This video from the July 15, 2024 Commission meeting is just one among many occurrences where the board has indicated and voted “we WILL fix the roads, and we will do it the right way.”
For the record: County Commissioners from all five districts – Sharon Langford, Bill Martin, Darrell Smith, Tommy Langford and Kenrick Thomas – consistently voted in favor of the original road project. They also voted for the county to accept full responsibility for the mistakes that were made, and to correct these issues properly, providing Spring Ridge with the durable roads that property owners are paying for.
This website is operated by private citizens of Gilchrist County as an unofficial source of information about the Spring Ridge road project. All information provided herein is based on interviews and other communication with county officials and experts, as well as research of internet resources. This is not an official county website, and may not reflect the actions or decisions of Gilchrist County government or the final outcome of this road project. All citizens in the affected areas of Spring Ridge are urged to attend the public meetings and utilize communications received from Gilchrist County for final and authoritative information on all aspects of this project.