FAQs

Roads

• Can I get the County to put Dust Palliative on my road or driveway?

  Generally, no. The County has performed dust control on certain county roads over the years. At one time the dust palliative was available to us free. We have since had to pay for the material and the cost has steadily risen. We are gradually phasing out the program and new roads are not added.

• Do you have an Adopt A Highway program?

  Yes, see the Forms & Documents page for information on the Adopt-a-Road program.

• How do I establish a "no-spray" zone?

  “No-spray” zones may be established by property owners or tenants who prefer to maintain the vegetation along their road frontage rather than rely on mowing and spraying by the Road Department. No-spray zone request forms may be picked up at our office and are available online.

• How do I get my driveway , private road, or local access road graded by the County?

  Linn County Road Department provides gravel road and driveway grading services to Private Citizens and Cities on an individual request basis. You can download a private grading request form and send it to our office. Grading is performed when we are in the area.

• How do I get my road improved?

  Call, Write, or visit our Office and ask about our Local Improvement District (LID) program. The LID program is designed to allow people to have their road improved to County standards and then accepted into the County system for continual maintenance. For more information, download the Citizen's Guide.

• How do I name / re-name my road?

  Linn County Code 960 regulates the naming and renaming of roads in Linn County. Visit the County Counsel website where you can access Linn County Codes online.

• What is a "Chip Seal"?

  What is a Chip Seal?

  A Chip Seal is the application of a protective wearing surface to an existing pavement. This maintenance work is performed to increase the service life of the existing asphalt pavement.

  First, asphalt is emulsified (mixed with water and an emulsifying agent). This emulsion is then applied to the road using a special spray truck. As soon as the emulsion meets the road surface, the water starts to evaporate leaving the soft, sticky asphalt.

  Immediately after spraying the emulsion, a layer of rock chips (small, clean, crushed rock) is applied by a chip spreader. These chips are rolled in to provide a better bond with the asphalt emulsion.

   

  Why use a Chip Seal?

  Over time asphalt reacts with oxygen in the air to become more brittle. UV radiation from the sun breaks down the binders in asphalts. Water penetrates roads to cause damage to the road base, which leads to failing pavements. Traffic loads can cause surface raveling (loss of rock).

  Chip seals provide protection for existing asphalt pavement surfaces to extend the service life of the pavement. They help to mend some of the above damage, and protect against further damage. They do not create a new structure for a road, such as an asphalt overlay would provide. However, they can be performed much more cheaply and more quickly.

   

  What can you expect to see?

  The application of the chip seal is pretty fast. We can finish a mile of road in about an hour under normal conditions. It will look like we have made a gravel road. There will be a lot of loose rock.

  One to two days later we will come back to sweep the road and apply a fog seal. This will coat the new rock chips with a protective layer of black asphalt.

  After another day we will return to replace the stripes, stop bars, and other pavement markings.

  How can you help?

  • Park vehicles well away from the edge of the road to avoid getting asphalt splashed or sprayed on them.
  • Drive slowly on the fresh chip seal / loose rock. The speed limit will be reduced to 35 mph until the stripes have been restored. Be careful of speeders, as they throw rock off their tires which can chip windshields.
  • Keep water off the road when we’re applying the chip seal and the fog seal. Ensure sprinklers do not get the road wet. Just like you wouldn’t want to paint a wet surface, the new asphalt does not stick well to a wet pavement.
• What is a “local access” road?

  “Local access road” means a public road that is not a county road, state highway or federal road. Local access roads are roads that have been dedicated to the public but not accepted by the County for maintenance. Local access roads can become County roads through the LID process.

• Why are you paving that road? Don't you know that (insert road name) is in a lot worse condition?

  Road paving decisions are made based on many different factors. The primary factor is the condition of the road segment. Some road segments are in “poor” condition and shouldn't be overlaid. These poor road segments must be reconstructed. Paving a road that may look pretty good extends the life of the road segment at a much lower cost than reconstruction.

• Why won't the Road Department fix my road?

  The Linn County Road Department is responsible for the maintenance of over 1,100 miles of road and over 300 bridges. We only maintain roads that are accepted into the County Road System. “County Roads” are roads that have been accepted by the Board of Commissioners for county maintenance. If we are not maintaining your road then it may be a local access road, private road, city street, or state highway.