Questions and answers about the road recovery plan
Construction - What Was Promised, and What Went Wrong?
This section is provided only to bring you up to speed on the “history” behind the road project: mistakes that were made with the first attempt at fixing the roads. We’ve moved past this now, but perhaps knowing the past might help others to avoid making these same mistakes in the future.
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The original problem with our roads (before this project began) was the lack of a substantial base layer underneath the pavement. Without this base layer being fixed, anything put on top of it (pavement) was destined to destruction: cracks formed, potholes appeared, the surface broke-down and crumbled. Fixing the weak base layer by removing existing pavement and creating a compacted 6″ limerock base was the first and most important step.
Next came the pavement. Millings were supposed to be ground properly, blended with an emulsion or bonding agent, applied by using a paving machine with heat, and wet-rolled using roller compactors.
All of this was specified in a fact sheet worked-out and agreed-upon between county residents and Bobby Crosby, Gilchrist County administrator.
The plan was presented to us by County Administrator Bobby Crosby, and yes, it was a good plan.
Spring Ridge residents Jim Meredith and Lee Schaltenbrand did research, and even traveled to a nearby county to view roads that had been paved in this manner, some as long as 20 years ago. When built using the proper materials, equipment and procedures, a good driving surface is the result.
It’s not as smooth as virgin asphalt, but very drivable, no cracks, no potholes. And also not as costly, since Spring Ridge residents had, in the past, repeatedly rejected more costly plans using virgin asphalt. For Spring Ridge, it was a good, cost-effective plan.
This statement is false. Not only can millings – if properly recycled and applied using the right equipment and the correct procedures – make a “good” road, they can create a durable, drivable road surface that can last for decades.
In fact, millings have an advantage over new asphalt: they are a tempered product that doesn’t suffer as much deterioration in the first few years, compared to virgin asphalt which can shrink as much as 20% in its first year following application.
People who say that recycled millings don’t make good roads are probably referring to the fact that (a.) it doesn’t create the glassy-smooth surface of virgin asphalt and (b.) it goes down gray, not the jet-black color of new asphalt. We knew that it wouldn’t look the same… but this was our best option if we wanted a drivable and durable road, and were unwilling to pay huuuge $$$ for brand new hot-mix asphalt.
The quick answer: corners were cut, improper procedures were followed, requirements were not adequately communicated with the contractor doing the job, and nobody from the county performed inspections to ensure the job was being done right.
The details: while we (the people responsible for this website) aren’t road experts, we’ve talked to plenty of experts, and here is what they’re telling us.
- The millings were improperly ground. Grinding needs to be done in small batches, right before they are applied, no more than a few days or maybe a week beforehand. On our project, the millings were all ground well in advance and sat for weeks before being used.
- An emulsion, or bonding agent, was not used to help with cohesiveness (stickiness) of the millings. While emulsion was in the specifications provided to Spring Ridge property owners in the fact sheet, we were later told by a county official that “an engineer” said emulsion was not necessary. But road experts we’ve spoken to tell us that a properly-selected bonding agent could have aided in bonding the pavement material.
- The millings were applied cold. The county pledged to have the millings applied by a paving machine with heat, one that has propane burners that melt the asphalt a bit and makes it sticky again. But they didn’t do that.
- The millings were dry-compacted. Water was supposed to be sprayed, or rollers with water tanks were supposed to be used, to apply water during rolling. Wet-rolling aids cohesiveness – stickiness – to help the material to bond. It didn’t happen.
And, worst of all, the county didn’t even notice any of these deficiencies. When road projects like this are performed, it’s customary for the work to be inspected by the road department with authority over the project. When problems develop, they have authority to stop the work and solve the small problems before they become big problems. This didn’t happen.
Yes, core sampling in several locations throughout Spring Ridge was performed by a Gainesville engineering firm. What did these core samples reveal?
- In 55% of core samples, the pavement layer was too thin; less than the 4″ layer specified.
- In 20% of core samples, the base layer didn’t meet the 6″ specification for the project.
In fairness, there are some areas of Spring Ridge where these core samples revealed construction that exceeded specifications. And regardless of core sample results, the problems with our roads are easy to see with a simple visual inspection or a drive through the neighborhood.
It won’t be necessary, according to the experts we spoke with. To them, it appeared that our longstanding issue with insufficient subsurface base is resolved.
The reclamation plan involves treating all existing compacted materials (limerock + millings) as a combined base layer on which to lay the new pavement. This base will meet or exceed the 6 inch compacted base requirement.
Yes. Repeatedly. The county has pledged – in County Commission meetings, and in a letter sent to Spring Ridge property owners – that they are working on a resolution to repair the roads.
During the July 15, 2024 Commission meeting Commission, they even passed a resolution acknowledging the Spring Ridge road issues, and stating that the problems will be resolved in a durable manner. This resolution received a unanimous 5-0 vote from Commissioners. (A video of the discussion leading to this resolution is posted on the home page of this website.)
Commissioners have also stated on the record that the problems we are experiencing are due to a defect in materials, not procedures. While some Spring Ridge residents may disagree with that conclusion, keep in mind the possibility that issues which appear to us to have been created by the contractor may have instead been the result of the county not providing adequate communication with the contractor. In any case, lack of proper oversight and inspection while the project was underway certainly contributed to the failure.
Regardless, the question of “who did it” is now a moot point. The county has taken full responsibility for fixing the problem.
Recovery: Turning Bad Roads Into Good Roads
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Yes, several options were researched. These options ranged from simple, quick-fix solutions to more intensive rebuilding projects. Terms like slurry sealing, microsurfacing, fog sealing, and chip and seal appeared in engineering documents and were brought up in county meetings.
Through research, contact with road engineers and experts in the field in two nearby counties, a plan was formulated to bring Spring Ridge roads back to drivable condition. It involved three steps.
- Sweep the roads VERY THOROUGHLY, removing 100% of loose and unbonded materials. The limerock and solid, bonded millings layer below (it’s true: if you dig down below the crumbs in most areas, a portion of it did bond properly) now becomes our ‘base’.
- Apply what’s called a “leveling course”. It starts with an emulsion – a sticky bonding agent – followed by a type of paving product that is engineered to fill and smooth the gaps, cracks and ‘washboards’. In Spring Ridge, this is not optional, it’s absolutely necessary.
- Finally, top this with a layer of hot mix asphalt – the layer we’ll drive on.
This, according to the experts, would give Spring Ridge a road surface with the durability and longevity that our roads would’ve had if proper equipment, materials and procedures had been used on the original project.
Yes, we understand. Some folks don’t like this option, because it is costly. Well, guess what, we don’t like it either. We are taxpayers, too. We wanted to save both ourselves and the county a lot of money by agreeing to the original plan that Mr. Crosby put forward. It was a good plan, and if it had been done properly and with good materials, it would have resulted in good, drivable roads. But this didn’t happen, and out of all of the options that would truly make it right, this may well end up being the cheapest.
It was the opinion of road experts that what we’ve got – the limerock that was added PLUS the portion of millings that did bond (in areas where they did) – is sufficient to resolve the subsurface problems that have plagued Spring Ridge for decades. In other words, it’s good news: we finally have a solid base, at least this problem is fixed!
The leveling course is going to be necessary regardless of the driving surface they put on top. This cost is unavoidable.
Why not just add another coat of millings as a driving layer? Unfortunately, that ship has sailed; it’s no longer an option. First, the millings would still need to be laid in a thick 4 inch layer, and this would increase the thickness of the roads beyond anything reasonable. Imagine trying to get into your driveway with the road being 4 inches higher than it is now! But also, the county would have to pay to buy fresh millings – the current pile of millings was ruined when the contractor ground them all in advance, they would no longer have the cohesiveness needed to bond together.
But what about chip seal? Well, this would be a short-term solution at best, lasting “five years, maybe a little more” in the words of one expert… possibly starting to break-down sooner than that if it doesn’t bond to the road surface. And with our roads’ current condition, it’s very likely that chip seal bonding would NOT be successful.
At this point, hot mix is the one, reliable solution for providing a driving surface. And in the long run, it will SAVE the county money to do this now… rather than coming to this conclusion 4 or 5 years from now when the cheap quick-fix fails, and prices for hot mix have skyrocketed much higher than they are today.
It was not an easy decision. Spending county funds to fix a problem that shouldn’t have happened in the first place… no, not easy.
But in the end, everyone – road engineers, county officials, and residents – came to the same, undeniable conclusion that there was only one RIGHT way to fix this problem… only one RIGHT way to prevent this issue from reoccurring over and over in the future… only one RIGHT way to provide Spring Ridge property owners with the roads that they are paying for through the 20-year special assessment on their properties.
The vote was unanimous. All five commissioners – Kenrick Thomas, Tommy Langford, Bill Martin, Darrell Smith and Sharon Langford – gave their full support to the plan.
These commissioners had, in earlier meetings, expressed their strong support for fixing the road problems in Spring Ridge in a durable manner. And with this vote, they put their words into action.
Lessons were learned from the previous paving attempt. On that project, no inspections were done by county officials or engineers of the road work as it was being performed… meaning that serious problems got “baked into” the roads throughout much of Spring Ridge. On-site inspections during the paving project would have discovered these issues at an early stage, allowing them to be corrected while they were still small problems rather than a neighborhood-wide catastrophe.
For this project, inspections are being performed on a regular basis by a qualified outside road engineering firm. Any issues that arise will be detected and corrected immediately.
Furthermore – in the opinion of many Spring Ridge residents – there is a great degree of confidence in Hicks Paving and Gray Construction, the contractors chosen to perform this work.
But we’ll still be watching you… 🙂
Nothing. County Commissioners have repeatedly stated, both verbally in Commission meetings (on the record) and in writing in a letter sent to Spring Ridge property owners in February, that there would be NO ADDITIONAL COST to Spring Ridge beyond what we have already been assessed.
And Spring Ridge shouldn’t have to pay, because Spring Ridge represents a unique situation in the history of Gilchrist County. Property owners in other parts of the county have paid for paving of unpaved roads; this has happened several times and in several areas. But Spring Ridge is the first and only area in Gilchrist County where property owners were required to pay for rebuilding roads that were already PAVED AND ACCEPTED by the county. The county gave us a list of work that would be performed, but then, didn’t deliver what was promised. By the county’s own admission ON THE RECORD, the materials they provided were defective. We also have WRITTEN CONFIRMATION from a county official stating that – once the project was completed – if a section of roadway fails, the county will repair it with the proper procedure and equipment.
And they’ve kept their word. No additional assessment will be made for this reclamation project.
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.