Shasta
County Road Maintenance Crews maintain hundreds of miles of unpaved and
gravel shoulders, drainage ditches, gutters and culverts. Roadside
maintenance activities include mowing, weed spraying, brush cutting,
culvert and ditch maintenance, street sweeping and litter clean up.
Such activities are necessary to eliminate potential hazards from the
traveled way, maintain adequate visibility, support the road structure
and allow storm water to readily exit the roadway.
Vegetation Control
It is necessary to control roadside vegetation to preserve sight
distance, eliminate drainage interference, prevent unsightly growth and
reduce fire hazard. Vegetation control consists of mowing, weed
spraying and brush cutting. When the fire danger is low, County crews
can perform roadside mowing. Weed spraying is performed at the
beginning of each growing season. Chemical compounds are applied to
roadside areas to control existing undesirable vegetation and retard
further growth.
The Department contracts with a private contractor properly licensed
and trained for this specialized work. Brush cutting and tree removal
involves the removal of larger vegetation such as bushes, limbs and
small trees that obstruct the traveled way or present a potential
safety hazard. County Maintenance Crews perform the majority of the
brush cutting operations. Contractors are utilized for larger or more
specialized brush cutting and tree removal projects.
Drainage Maintenance
Drainage maintenance includes such work as necessary to maintain
proper drainage from and adjacent to the roadway and through culverts.
This work includes the cleaning and shaping of roadside ditches in
conjunction with blading roadside shoulders, cleaning gutters,
mechanical sweeping of areas with curb and gutter, and cleaning,
repairing and replacing culverts.
Litter Removal
Litter and debris often accumulates within County right-of-way.
Large accumulations can constitute health or safety hazards. These
areas are cleaned by Road Maintenance Crews. Work release crews from
the Probation Department are also utilized at times for litter clean
up. The Public Works Department also has an Adopt-A-Highway program for
citizens who wish to volunteer to pickup litter along Couny Roads.