County roads department: What it does, how it gets done

With a staff of just 15, the Churchill County Road Department keeps traffic moving smoothly on the nearly 200 miles of county-maintained paved roads and almost 260 miles of unpaved roads.

The department does this by upgrading, repairing and maintaining county roads, bridges and related infrastructure. This includes major paving and chip sealing projects, bridge repairs and construction, culvert repair and replacement, pothole patching, crack sealing, tree trimming along county roads, removal of debris within county road easements, de-icing and snow removal, traffic control and traffic sign maintenance.

Road Supervisor Gary Fowkes and his staff divided the county into four quadrants based roughly on the intersection of U.S. Highways 50 and 95. Within each quadrant, traffic meters indicate which roads are the most traveled and from that, the department decides which quadrants roads receive project funding. The most-traveled roads in each quadrant receive the highest priority.

In fiscal year 2022-23, road department personnel chip-sealed Tarzyn Road from Highway 95 to the end of the oil, Wildes Road from Highway 95 to Harrigan Road and Harmon Road from Highway 50 to Wildes among its projects.

In addition to maintaining roads, road department personnel have served this community in several other ways.

HIGH-WATER OPERATIONS

During high-water mitigation efforts in 2017 and again last year, under emergency order and working alongside community, city, state and federal partners, the road department was heavily involved in flood mitigation efforts including building the weirs and digging the Big Dig ditch.

High-water mitigation efforts in 2023 were executed by road department staff alongside personnel from the city of Fallon, TCID and several partner agencies. The road department used their heavy equipment to clear waterways in preparation for the possibility of local flooding due to the anticipated large snowmelt upstream in the Sierra Nevada.

The road department cleaned out the Big Dig channel and freed it from debris and silt so water can flow efficiently from the Carson Pasture, under Highway 50 and out to the Stillwater Wildlife Refuge. The department was involved with the planning and construction of the second weir on the V-line canal.

VACCINES AND TESTING

Did you get a COVID test or vaccine during the pandemic? If so, road department staff set up the vehicle lines at the fairgrounds and guided you through the line. They then moved the vaccine and test area to Miners Road once construction started on the Rafter 3C Arena.

Working with TCID, the department covered the open drainage ditch on the north side of Miners Road last year.

Have questions about the road department? Here are some of the most frequently asked questions along with the answers:

• Who owns the roads in Churchill County?

Public roadways are “owned” by the State of Nevada (e.g. Highways 50 and 95, Sheckler Road, Wildes Road east of Harrigan, Pasture Road south of base housing, etc.), the City of Fallon (roads within city limits), the county and private citizens. Road maintenance repairs are conducted by the entity that “owns” a particular road.

• Who maintains the roads along the canals?

TCID maintains roads along the canals, but the county road department will assist TCID as requested.

• How is the determination made as to what type of repair is done to a county road?

With the extraordinary rise in the price of paving materials, the road department generally prefers to chip seal when it can to keep costs down. About seven to 10 miles of county roads are chip-sealed each year.

• How is the budget determined?

Fuel taxes and a small percentage of sales tax make up the bulk of the road department’s budget. Those who buy gas in Churchill County directly contribute to the maintenance and repair of county roads. The road department doesn’t receive any funding from the general county.

• What is the budget for road repairs?

About $400,000 is set aside annually for purchasing materials to repair roads. Department staff conduct the work on any given project to save on contracting fees.

• Are property taxes or registration fees used for road repairs?

No. The road department receives no money from property taxes or registration fees. It is funded by local gas tax collections.

• Why doesn’t the county maintain all the roads in Churchill County?

In general, the county does not maintain dirt roads and roads on private land. A list of county-maintained roads can be found on the road department’s webpage at: https://www.churchillcountynv.gov/DocumentCenter/View/16848/MASTER-Road-Inventory_012023

• Why aren’t county roads striped?

The cost to stripe and maintain striped roads is prohibitive and would eat up the vast majority of the department’s total budget. A 2023 estimate to stripe county roads was just under $2 million. The department’s entire annual budget is about $2.3 million.

• What is the speed limit on county roads?

It varies depending on the road. A full list of county roads and the speed limits can be found at: churchillcountynv.gov/DocumentCenter/View/6755/Speed-Limits-County-Roads

Anne McMillin is Churchill County’s public information officer.