County Road Policy Sections 7, 8 - San Juan County, New Mexico: Local Government.

On an annual basis, the Administrator of the Public Works Department shall present a report to the Board of County Commissioners for its consideration and approval which certifies to the Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Transportation the total mileage, names, route and location of public roads maintained by San Juan County, pursuant to N.M.S.A., Section 67-3-28.3 (Supp. 1995). As part of the presentation, the Administrator of Public Works will report to the Commissioners the total miles of County-maintained roads in the network, any additions and/or deletions and estimated maintenance cost of the network.

Also on an annual basis, the Administrator of Public Works shall present a resolution to the Board of County Commissioners for its consideration and approval which authorizes the submission of an application to the New Mexico Department of Transportation for assistance from the Local Government Road Fund to perform necessary repair of and construction of roads in San Juan County, authorizing the expenditure of matching funds for categories of the Local Government Road Fund (i.e., CAP, CO-OP, and School Bus Routes) and recommend projects on which the funds may be used.

SECTION 8. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS.

OBSTRUCTION OF, DAMAGE TO OR WORK ON COUNTY ROADS.

It is unlawful to obstruct or damage public roads (N.M.S.A. 1978, §§ 67-7-1 and 67-7-2). No objects will be allowed on, or within 12 feet of, the driving surface that may interfere with the safety of persons or vehicles utilizing a County road. Fences, locked gates and other obstructions are prohibited on all County maintained and lesser County maintained roads or rights-of-way.

Private parties or organizations shall not perform any type of construction or other activity such as, but not limited to, utility installation, or constructing a driveway/road intersection without first applying for and securing authorization from the San Juan County Public Works Department, thereafter complying fully with all provisions and standards set forth in the authorization. This provision may be waived only in the event of an emergency; however, a follow-up authorization will be required. See Appendix D.

PAVEMENT, GRAVEL, CULVERTS, CATTLEGUARDS, WEED CONTROL, TRAFFIC SIGNS/PAVEMENT STRIPING AND STREET LIGHTING.

The County may pave, gravel, install culverts, install cattleguards, perform weed control, install signs, stripe and install street lighting on any County maintained road or public right-of-way at its discretion. Upon citizen request, the County may perform any of the above if it is determined to be necessary and is in the best interest of the County. Any requested improvements will be prioritized based on need and will be contingent upon available funding, manpower and equipment.

Any road improvements such as paving, drainage improvements, or other such improvements that are requested by the public that are not currently planned or budgeted by the County may also be financed by the creation of a special easement district. Creation of the special assessment district shall be subject to statutory requirements, including N.M.S.A. 1978,-§§ 67-4-20 through 67-4-24 (as amended) and N.M.S.A. 1978, §§ 3-33-1 through 3-33-43 (as amended).

PAVEMENT

Currently paved roads will be maintained at that level including asphalt patching and resurfacing when determined to be necessary by the County.

GRAVEL

Currently graveled roads will be maintained at that level including routine blading and dust control when determined to be necessary by the County.

CULVERTS

Culverts will be installed in such a manner as to align with the historic or established drainage. However, this does not imply that San Juan County is responsible to maintain the drainage channel beyond the limits of the right-of-way easement. Only in the event it is determined that such maintenance of the drainage channel would directly benefit the County and the County has received permission and indemnification from the property owners would the County consider performing work.

CATTLEGUARDS

The installation of cattleguards on County maintained and lesser County maintained roads that define property lines and are not intended to enhance public safety will be the responsibility of the landowner.

On County maintained roads, the requesting landowner shall be required to reimburse the County for the cost of the item and its installation cost. The County shall install the cattleguard to its specifications and shall assume responsibility for any future maintenance of the unit.

On lesser County maintained roads, the requesting landowner shall be responsible for the installation and any future maintenance of the unit.

No cattleguards will be permitted on County maintained or lesser County maintained roads that do not meet the Public Works Department’s minimum specifications. No maintenance of cattleguards on County maintained or lesser County maintained roads will be permitted unless first authorized (see Authorization Form, Appendix D) by the Public Works Department. All maintenance must be fully inspected by the Public Works Department after completion.

WEED CONTROL

The County may use herbicides and mowing as part of its weed management program. The use of herbicides and mowing on County road rights-of-way will be at the discretion of the Administrator of Public Works.

a.	Herbicides
	Herbicides may be used to inhibit and/or prevent weed, shrub and tree growth on County road rights-of-way. Herbicides may also be used in an effort to control noxious weeds on County road rights-of-way.
	The County can, at the discretion of the Administrator of Public Works, control noxious weeds on County and/or private property (with landowner’s permission) if it is determined to be in the best interest of the County or should any noxious weed acts may be enacted within this State. The County will attempt to perform this service at no charge to landowners.
b.	Mowing
	Mowing will be done on maintained and lesser maintained County roads when weed growth obstructs the visibility of traffic and/or pedestrian ingress and egress.

TRAFFIC SIGNS/PAVEMENT STRIPING.

The placement of all traffic signs and pavement striping will be performed in compliance with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). Materials shall be in accordance with requirements of ASTM standards, FHWA specification FP-96, and Federal Register Volume 48, No. 200, 10/14/83. Speed limits will be established based on State laws.

STREET LIGHTING.

Only major road intersections will be considered for dusk-to-dawn street lighting. The Administrator of Public Works will consider and approve or deny each request on a case by case basis.

STREET HUMPS.

Before any road can be considered to receive speed humps, the Administrator of Public Works must make a determination that the road in question is a reasonable candidate for such treatment, based on an analysis of the location, considering overall traffic volumes, speeds, flow characteristics, topography, special situations, or any other factors which in any way might be affected if speed humps were to be installed on the road. The following criteria provide a basis for evaluating the appropriateness of speed humps. Each request will be evaluated on these criteria with additional consideration given to unusual circumstances. Special consideration will be given to roads experiencing extreme speeding problems. Criteria for consideration are:

CRITERIA FOR INSTALLATION OF SPEED HUMPS.

a.	Road must be classified as a local low-volume or residential road. Collector roads and arterials are designed to carry traffic into and through the neighborhood and provide emergency access to neighborhoods; therefore, traffic on these roads should not be impeded.
b.	More than 50 percent of the surveyed motorists must exceed a speed of 25 mph. This shows a clear majority of traffic in excess of residential speeds and identifies unusual speeding problems.
c.	Average daily traffic volumes of less than 400 and greater than 50. These numbers are in keeping with local low-volume or residential road classification.
d.	The road may not exceed 36 feet in width. This width is characteristic of residential roads with two driving lanes and two parking lanes.
e.	The road may not have more than two traffic lanes. More than two traffic lanes are uncommon on residential roads and are generally associated with collector and arterial roads.
f.	Road grades may not exceed 4 percent. Excessive grades create several safety considerations.
g.	Roads to be considered for speed humps must be paved with a full pavement section of asphalt. Roads with less than a full pavement section (e.g. dirt, gravel or an oil surface treatment) will deteriorate rapidly, causing both safety and long-term maintenance problems.
h.	Installation of a hump will not be permitted where substantial diversions of traffic to other local roads may occur, i.e., move the displaced traffic onto other residential roads.
i.	Installations shall not be considered on roads commonly used by emergency vehicles as an access corridor. Input from the County Fire Marshall will be a consideration prior to the installation of speed humps.
j.	Horizontal alignment must provide for adequate sight distance. Humps placed on curves may create safety hazards.
k.	The road under consideration shall be free of any unusual features which might, in combination with a hump, cause an unusual performance effect. Engineering consideration must be given to each proposed location on a site-specific basis.
l.	A letter from an accredited home owners’ association that represents a majority of the residents or a substantial majority (70 percent) of the residents on the road where the hump is to be considered must petition for the installation of the hump(s). As requests are initiated by the residents, a clear majority of support must be verified.
m.	The benefiting residents (property owners on the road abutting a hump) within 150 feet on either side of the hump location must have 100 percent concurrence.

GUIDLINES.

The initiation of requests for speed hump installations shall be in accordance with the following procedures:

	i.	All requests shall originate from the residents of the road or the home owners’ association.
	ii.	All requests shall be in the form of a formal petition (copies of which will be supplied by the County Public Works Department).
	iii.	All petitions shall be circulated by the residents themselves.
	iv.	A separate petition shall be used for each road.
	v.	Petitions shall be circulated at least among those residents residing in buildings facing and/or directly accessing the road.
	vi.	Completed petitions shall be delivered to the County Public Works Department.
	vii.	Each petition shall contain the signatures of property owners representing at least 70 percent of the properties that face directly on or access the road.