Public Works
Road Maintenance
Maintenance District Information
ROAD ALERT:
A contractor began work on Aug. 5, installing curve warning signs on Stemilt Loop Road. The project started at the intersection of Joe Miller and Blair Slacks roads and a crew will work its way along Stemilt Loop Road toward Wenatchee Heights Road.
As it works, the contractor is using a single-lane closure that will be about a quarter of a mile long. Flaggers will be directing traffic. Waits will be minimal -- up to 15 minutes during peak times.
Please watch for the crew, which will be working on those curve areas. The road safety project is expected to take about 3 weeks, and then the contractor will move to Mission Creek Road in Cashmere. That area will take only 3 days.
The $271,500 project is being paid for with federal monies.
WEEKLY UPDATE:
Information regarding maintenance work occurring in the County maintenance districts for the week of August 19, 2019:
| District 1 (Wenatchee) |
Crews will be ditching and cleaning culverts and cleaning up after recent rainstorms and flash flooding. |
| District 2 (Cashmere) |
Crews will be doing prep work on 2020 preservation roads. They also will be cleaning up after a downed tree on Olalla Canyon Road near milepost 3. Motorists should watch for one-lane, flagger-controlled traffic in the work area. Minor traffic delays are expected. And the crew will be cleaning the ditch at the end of Eels and Taber roads. One-lane, flagger-controlled traffic also will be in that work area. |
| District 3 (Leavenworth) |
Crews will be skip patching on Chumstick Highway, from about milepost 10 to Plain. Motorists should watch for one-lane, flagger-controlled traffic in the work area. Minor traffic delays are expected. |
| District 4 (Entiat) |
The crew will be ditching and brushing on Mills Canyon Road as well as working with the preservation crew as needed. |
| District 5 (Chelan) |
In the Manson area, crews will be hand patching, brush cutting and repairing shoulders. They also will be hand patching Apple Acres Road. The crew may do a skip patch on Airport Road. While skip patching, the road will be at one lane, with a flagger controlling traffic. Plan for minor traffic delays. And the crew will be doing a bridge repair on the Chelan Falls Bridge. (No traffic impacts expected.) |
Need to find out which Chelan County Maintenance District you live in? Click the link below for the districts map:
Maintenance Districts Map
Vegetation Management
Chelan County’s primary objectives for roadside vegetation management are:
- Provide for safe travel on County roads.
- Preservation of roadway infrastructure with desirable vegetation and stable roadsides.
- Compliance with legal regulations concerning control of noxious weeds.
Herbicides are a cost-effective method of maintaining vegetation, and selective use over time require, less product to manage vegetation as native grasses and low-growing plants fill in along roadsides.
Why does the County use herbicide to thin brush?
Safe travel requires maintaining sight distance at corners, curves and intersections, ensuring water flows off of pavement and providing areas for vehicles to safely pull off the road. This is accomplished with pruning, vegetation removal or herbicide thinning of deciduous vegetation.
Herbicide thinning is only used on brush and trees (apart from landscape vegetation or commercial farms after Sept. 1). Only the limbs of the plant sprayed are affected and those limbs will not leaf out the following year. It does not kill the plant.
What herbicides are used in the residual program?
When the spray zone is near sensitive areas, such as orchards, vineyards, residences and rivers, lakes and irrigation canals, the chemicals used in these areas are soft residual products that are safe to use up to the water’s edge and near orchards, vineyards or landscaping. In non-sensitive areas, different herbicides with selective properties can be used to address vegetation control issues.
Why control noxious weeds?
The County is required by state law to control all listed noxious weeds that occur on the right-of-way (RCW 17.10). The County is also sensitive to the needs and concerns of adjacent landowners, both for controlling the spread of noxious weeds and the need for use of herbicides to control vegetation. All herbicides used by the County are on the State of Washington Vegetation Management Contract. WSDOT has completed toxicological and risk analysis for all herbicides on the contract and summaries can be accessed on its website. These herbicides have been determined to be the least toxic to mammals, fish and invertebrates.
When does the County spray for noxious weeds?
Control of noxious weeds is performed from mid-May to mid-September. Selective herbicides are used in non-sensitive areas to promote the establishment of perennial grasses. Non-selective herbicide (Roundup®) is used in sensitive areas as it is one of just a few herbicides that is relatively safe to use near landscaping, orchards and vineyards.
Does the County spray herbicide on all of the right-of-way for noxious weed control?
No. The County spot sprays noxious weeds selectively throughout the spring and summer to promote the establishment of perennial grasses.
Is it safe for me to walk my pets after an application has been made?
Yes. It is safe to come into contact with areas after the herbicide has dried. If pets lick their feet after walking through a treated area, it is advisable to rinse their feet with water, although at the rates of application there is little risk to pets or people.
What if I do not want the County to spray herbicide on the right-of-way adjoining my property?
The County has a program in place for landowners to maintain the County right-of-way in lieu of the County applying herbicides. The County will place “Owner Will Maintain” signs (at no expense to the landowner) at the start and stop of your property, to indicate where to stop and to resume spraying. Under this agreement, the landowner is responsible to control all noxious weeds, keep vegetation from encroaching onto the asphalt and keep brush and trees back from the right-of-way line of sight and around utilities and signs. Failure to comply with the terms of the agreement will result in the County removing the signs and resuming use of herbicides to control vegetation.
Posted: 10/20/2014 11:08 AM
Last Updated: 08/15/2019 04:30 PM