Spur Ranch Road Washout 09_23_2014

Dear Neighbors,

Yesterday's rain seriously damaged Spur Ranch Road over a one mile length west of the railroad tracks, roughly from Calle Junipero almost to the East entrance of Rosa Linda. Water in great quantity poured over the road from the North,  through a drainage, greatly overwhelming the bar ditches and culverts. The silt and debris ruined the bar ditches along each side of the road and washed away in some places much of the gravel and road surface.  Fortunately, other parts of the road surface, though coated with mud and dirt, remain intact, most likely because earlier in the year we graded and rolled the road.

 

The road is passable for now, but the shoulders have been completely washed out along much of the damage. Additionally, the rushing water undercut the sides of the road in places, which means that the road is unstable near the sides. Vehicles should therefore avoid driving close to the sides of the road, because it could collapse undere the weight of the vehicle.

 

Ironically, none of the flooding came from rain that actually fell on the road. Our weather station showed no rainfall at all on the road itself.  The SR Road Association is soliciting bids for repair work and will try to make repairs as soon as possible. Unfortunately, there is no affordable permanent fix for this situation. This type of flooding happens every few years, although this is the worst case in the past decade. No doubt it will happen again.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jim Garland, president

Spur Ranch Road Association