WASHINGTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — Washington County Judge Patrick Deakins said the county's roads were graded low at sub-50% before starting the 2024 road improvement project.
"Pavement is a life cycle, just like if you bought a new car. The minute you drive it off the lot, there's depreciation and wear and tear on that automobile," Deakins said. "It's the exact same thing with our roads."
The county began the year setting a high goal — repaving 200 miles of road.
"People were in disbelief when we stated that goal," Deakins said. "There were a lot of people who laughed, said it wasn't possible, we'll never get there."
Nearly 14,000 hours of manpower, over 15,000 tons of asphalt, 700,000 gallons of chip seal oil, and approximately 36,000 tons of gravel later, 200 out of the 1,000 Washington County roads are now newly paved.
Repaving ultimately promotes more safety for residents, according to Deakins.
"One of the major issues for county roads is moisture and water penetrating the road," Deakins said. "So, anytime we can get that water to shed off, or we can prevent flooding or creek erosion, it's going to be a major benefit for the citizens of Washington County."
But, the work isn't done yet. According to Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) regulations, paving season goes from April 15 to Oct. 15.
"While the weather's still cooperating with us and we can still get work done, we're absolutely going to work up to the last minute to make sure we're putting the life back into the pavement," Deakins said.
As for the future, Washington County will focus less on repaving next year and more on widening roads and adding bottlenecks to address traffic issues and account for the rapid population growth.
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