Municipal Road Services

TRANSPORTATION SERVICES:

Bridge Inspection, Repair and Maintenance:

The County has the following inventory of bridges:

Provincial Responsibility:

Alberta Infrastructure (A.I.) is responsible for the engineering design, construction, inspection, maintenance and repair of Major Bridges.

Municipal Responsibility:

Municipalities are responsible for the engineering design, construction, inspection, maintenance and repair of all other bridges (bridges and culverts) located on secondary highways and local roads.  Nonetheless, A.I. voluntarily assists municipalities by providing technical assistance and/or financial assistance subject to budgetary limitations.  They will also undertake design and construction of those bridges considered to be beyond the normal capacity of the municipality, or, provides engineering design and some financial assistance where the work is undertaken by the municipality.

Bridge Inspections:

Inspections on Secondary Highway bridges and culverts must be done by a qualified inspector (Class B Inspector) over a 39 month cycle, while Local Road bridges and culverts must be done over a 57 month cycle.  The County has a consulting engineer who does the inspections at a specified cost per bridge/culvert.

AI is currently reviewing and modifying the Provincial regulations that outline what the areas of responsibility are, and what is funded by the Province. 

This will be an area for increased focus for the County.

Construction:

Construction:

The County annually adopts a program outlining those roads that will be subject to re-grading or new grading that year.  Generally, the County usually conducts less than approx. 10 miles of construction each year.  If the County is able to qualify for special funding assistance from the Province and/or the Federal Govt., additional work may be undertaken.

The work is undertaken in a number of ways:

·        Contracted Out: Projects on higher profile roads are occasionally contracted out for tender through the County’s appointed engineers.  The engineers supervise and monitor the performance of the contractor pursuant to the contract.

·        Contracted out: Projects on middle profile roads are occasionally contracted out for tender by the County with some assistance from the appointed engineers for profiles, etc.  The project is supervised by County personnel.

·         Day Labour: Projects on middle to low profile roads are occasionally conducted through individual contractors hired by the County at hourly rates and supervised by County personnel.

With limited resources available, the County has seen a decrease in the amount of road construction over time.  More focus has gone to road rehabilitation, such as shoulder-pulling, etc.

Construction Repair:

The County undertakes repairs to roads from time to time as follows:

·         Shoulder Pulling, Backsloping and Ditch Clean Outs: Improvements to existing roads are occasionally done with County equipment (graders, etc.) and supervised by County personnel.

·         Patching: Improvements and repairs are occasionally made to existing roads with the use of County tandem trucks and/or hired trucks.  Material is obtained from private sources, borrow pits, etc.

Gravel Program:

·        Source of Material:

The County has a number of Crown property surface materials lease sites (most of which are in various stages of abandonment), with one specifically active site near the Athabasca River, in the County of Barrhead.  The County annually excavates, and crushes approx./in excess of 50,000 tonnes per year.  The program is usually tendered, or, otherwise contracted out as a package to a private contractor, with the County monitoring quality.  This source provides the majority of the material used by the County, although transportation costs are high to service those areas farthest from the supply.  The material in stockpile for the 1999 spreading program may be the last good supply of material that can be economically mined from this site.  We are presently organizing an exploratory venture through the County’s consulting engineers, in order to find another location, near the old one, for material to crush in the fall for the year 2000 program.

The County also purchases material, both crushed and uncrushed, from private industry where economical to do so; particularly in the south and east parts of the County.

·        Stockpiling Program:

The County generally transports gravel to various stockpile sites throughout the County during the winter, when roads are frozen.  The program is usually tendered out as a package to a private contractor, with the County monitoring quality.

·        Spreading Program:

The County places gravel from stockpile sites on approx. 400 miles of road annually.  The Council adopts a program at the beginning of the season, which is modified from time to time during the year.  The program has historically been tendered out to a private contractor to load, haul and spread the gravel, as directed and monitored by in-house personnel.  In 1998 & 1999, the County conducted the spreading program with its own trucks.  This may, or may not be the preferred method of conducting this program.  Program completion is preferred by the middle of August.

Secondary Highways

·        Secondary Highway Partnership Program:

A program established by the Provincial Government requiring the participation of Municipalities in the capital infrastructure investment (grade construction, paving, re-paving and rehabilitation).  Generally, the partnership calls for 75% from the Province, and 25% from the County.  The Province maintains a record of individual participation, so as to monitor compliance with the 75/25 partnership arrangement.  The County is banking an annual amount with a view to conducting a project, from time to time, that is 100% funded by the County, which would be credited towards the County’s 25% share.

On April 1^st, 2000, SH794 will become a Primary Highway, and will no longer be the County's responsibility either for capital of on-going maintenance costs.

In July of 2001, all other Secondary Highways in the County will become Primary Highways, with the capital and maintenance costs being fully assumed by the Province.  Until that happens, the County will still be providing on-going maintenance.

·        Secondary Highways ( and other paved roads):

·        Crackfilling Program:

The County conducts an annual crackfilling program on those Secondary Highways and other paved local roads as deemed necessary (max. of approx. 95.1 miles).  The program is normally tendered as a package to a private contractor.

·        Maintenance Program:

The County conducts an annual maintenance program (pothole repair, culvert repair, etc.) on those Secondary Highways and other paved local roads as deemed necessary (max. of approx. 95.1 miles).  Program is normally conducted by combination of in-house resources and hired equipment, etc.

·        Line Painting Program:

The County conducts a line painting program from time to time (not every year) on those Secondary Highways and other paved local road, as required (max. of approx. 95.1 miles).  Any program undertaken is usually tendered to a private contractor.

Maintenance Program:

·        Road Signage program:

The County conducts an annual sign maintenance and replacement program, using in-house resources.  The County relies on area residents, road users, members of Council and Municipal staff (particularly grader operators, and other Transportation Services employees) to monitor and inform on maintenance and repair items.

·        Dust Control Program:

Hamlets:

The County conducts dust control within certain hamlets from time to time. 

Special Projects:

The County occasionally conducts dust control on selected roads, or sections of road from time to time.

Rural Residence Projects:

The County conducts spot dust control in front of residences for those people who have made application and paid the fee established by the County each year.  The fee is supposed to represent the actual cost of the dust control product and application.  The County provides at no expense to the residents, labour, motor grader, and additional gravel, if necessary.

The County usually searches the market for the least expensive material (special crude oil, processed oil, etc.).  The material and its application is usually acquired as a package from  private industry, and applied under the direction of in-house personnel.

Residents who chose to arrange for the purchase and application of dust control on their own, are allowed to do so, providing they coordinate the application with the County, so that a grader can be on hand shortly afterwards.  The County reserves the right to approve the dust control material proposed for use.

All spot dust control applicants, whether County applied or privately applied, must sign a hold harmless agreement for the County’s benefit.  The County reserves the right to maintain the area that is subject to the spot dust control, under any circumstance.

·        Motor Grader Operations:

The County maintains a fleet of (11) graders and operators.  The County is divided into grader service areas, to which each grader and operator is assigned (approx. 100miles - 140 miles per unit).  The graders are subject to the direction of the local Councillor and/or the PWS for those summer maintenance operations on the driving surface of the road; all other applications (construction, including backsloping, shoulder pulling, ditch clean outs) are subject to the direction of the PWS, only.  A program or pattern of work is to be established by the local Councillor, in consultation with the PWS and the operator. Generally, subject to weather conditions, graders are expected to cover their respective areas within 2-3 days, and are expected to repeat the coverage every week or two.

·        Culvert Maintenance and Installation:

The County conducts culvert repairs, replacements, and new installations for center line drainage and for approaches onto private property from road allowance as required.  Private contractors, under the supervision of the County usually conduct Work.  The County acquires materials from the local culvert manufacturer.  Any necessary fill material is obtained or supplied by the County.

·        Miscellaneous Maintenance:

The County conducts a variety of minor maintenance operations to roads, including the following:

Hamlet street lighting

Shared maintenance of specified railroad crossings with CN, including maintenance and operation of controlled crossing locations.

·        Winter Maintenance Program:

·        Secondary Highways (and other paved roads) - Snow Plowing/Sanding:

The County converts (3) of the tandem gravel trucks to winter snowplows and sanding units.  These units conduct snow removal from secondary highways and other paved roads (see inventory under Secondary Highways Program), and applies approx. 1,200 cu.yds. of pickled sand annually for de-icing.

Work is conducted at the discretion of the PWS, as required.

·        Local Roads Snowplowing:

The County has (11) Motorgraders equipped with V-plows and wings for the removal of snow from local roads.  Each motorgrader is assigned one of (11) service areas ( approx. 100 - 140 miles of road each).   Motorgraders are subject to the direction of the local Councillor and/or the PWCoord.  A program or pattern of work is to be established by the local Councillor, in consultation with the PWS and the operator.

Service is provided at the direction of the local Councillor and/or the PWS on an as required basis.  Generally, graders are expected to cover their respective area within 5 days, depending on weather conditions and the degree of severity of the storm.  Rarely, contractors are required to augment County resources. 

Contractors are used often for snow clearing in Hamlets, where mobility is more difficult for larger equipment.

Airport:

The County and the Town of Westlock jointly own and operate a municipal airport located on a ½ section of land within the County (South Half Section 31 59 25 4).  The two jurisdictions have formed an Airport Authority who conduct the business of the airport.  The Town is the host jurisdiction for the Authority.  The Authority has arranged for the services of an on-site airport manager who provides the service in exchange for concessions at the airport for his operation of a private maintenance and repair shop for aircraft.

The County provides some maintenance (eg. Snowplowing, sanding, etc. on the runway, and taxi ways), as well as grader maintenance and gravel on the main internal road, in exchange for use of a storage area at the far east end of the road.

The County and the Town, otherwise, share the operational deficit 50/50.

Senior Citizens and Handicapped:

The County, the Town of Westlock, and the Village of Clyde collectively operate a municipal transportation system for Senior Citizens and Handicapped individuals.  A joint Committee has been formed to look after the business of the service.  Each jurisdiction receives a grant from AT&U, that is population based; each jurisdiction in turn remits the amount of the per capita grant to the Committee, who provide their own administration of the service.

The County’s involvement is otherwise limited to providing vehicle service and maintenance.

SHOP - (MOTOR-POOL):

The County has a maintenance shop and storage yard located near the Office.  The shop is 60’X100’, and the storage yard is just under (2) acres in area.

Maintenance and Repair:

The shop personnel are responsible for the maintenance and repair of all municipal equipment.  Much of the work is done in-house.  Some of the work is sent to local, or Edmonton service center shops if the work is beyond the in-house expertise, or if the shop is already fully engaged.

Parts and Materials Supply Inventory:

The shop personnel maintain a supply of replacement parts and materials, and misc. supplies for use.

Fabrication and Welding:

The shop personnel also conducting welding or other metal fabricating on equipment, for repair or modification, from time to time.  They also will manufacture special purpose equipment, tools, etc. from time to time.

Vehicle Inspection Services: