Spur Ranch Road Update 10_31_2015

Dear Neighbors,

 

With yesterday's 0.63 inches of rain, the year-to-date total rainfall on the road is now 13.21 inches, about thirty percent more than last year's total. The road west of the RR tracks survived the recent rain in reasonably sound shape, with good drainage along the bar ditches. Some of the ditches will require cleaning of silt and debris, but nothing major.  Avenida des Compadres, as of this afternoon, is passable only with 4WD vehicles, with two deep muddy stretches along the unimproved dirt road segment. Until it dries out, we encourage residents to avoid Compadres.

 

The area east of the RR tracks to Rte 285 has segments where potholes have formed and washboards are beginning to develop. At this point, the road is still drivable, and we plan to wait until later in the year before regrading it. The base of the road still seems solid, so we don't expect the potholes deepen significantly.

 

I know I sound like a broken record, but speeding continues to be a problem. Driving in excess of 30 mph greatly accelerates the pothole and washboard problem, so please take your time. We have received reports of delivery trucks, especially FedEx, significantly exceeding the posted speed limit.

 

Our budget for the remainder of the year is about $4000. If we don't have unexpected heavy snowfalls, we'll try and grade the road one last time before the first of the year.  The SRRA directors will be meeting soon to prepare a budget for 2016 to present to the entire membership at our annual meeting. The meeting will be in early December, and we'll notify you as soon as we have a date.

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Regards,

Jim Garland, president

Spur Ranch Road Association.

 

Spur Ranch Road Update 10/22/2015

Dear Neighbors,

 

My fellow SRRA director, Al Webster, and I checked the road condition this morning, following yesterday's 1.25 inches of rain, and found the road west of the RR tracks to Compadres to be generally in good condition, with minor washboarding and undercutting, and some partly filled in bar ditches on the north side of the road.

 

The east side of the road, between SR 285 and the RR tracks did not fare so well. Although the washboarding has not significantly worsened, many potholes have developed, some of them relatively deep.

 

We had planned initially to grade the east portion of the road late last week, but postponed the work because of the imminent rain. As it turned out, that was a fortuitous move, and we're now planning to grade the east part of the road as soon as the road dries out sufficiently, most likely in the next day or two. The moisture is good, since it means we can save money by not having to water (and possibly roll) the road. We hope the savings will enable us to grade the west portion of the road as well and, pending negotiations with the grader, perhaps clean out and deepen some of the bar ditches.

 

Grading the road several times a year will be a continuing expense for the Association. We don't have enough budget to build up a solid base for the road bed, much less pave it with asphalt or concrete, so we'll make do as best as possible. However, every time we grade the road, it shortens its remaining life expectancy. This is a particular problem for the road west of the RR tracks, where flooding has washed out the base course foundation in several areas.

 

Some of may be using Avenida Compadres.The most worrisome section of Compadres is the 1/4 mile segment that lacks any foundation at all. We checked that segment this morning, and was pleased to find it was not as bad as we expected. It will be muddy but should be passable with a 4WD vehicle, though we don't recommend it.

 

Regards,

Jim Garland, president

Spur Ranch Road Association

 

 

 

Spur Ranch Road Update

Hola Neighbours,,

 

There will be a road grader working on Spur Ranch Road either this Wednesday or Thursday (14 or 15 October) from NM 285 to the railroad tracks.  This will be a minor grading to remove most of the washboarding and to prepare the road for the upcoming winter season and the forecasted active ‘El Nino’.  Please watch out for the grader, recalling that it weighs about 13 tons and that the driver, concentrating on the road ahead,  may not see you approach. 

 

Thanks, Happy Halloween, and don't forget to preserve our road and yourself by driving slowly and carefully.

 

Jim Garland, president

(for the Spur Ranch Road Directors)