Oklahoma counties rent road recyclers to optimize maintenance program

OKMULGEE COUNTY, Okla. - Located less than 30 miles south of Tulsa, Okla., Okmulgee County shares many of the same concerns of countless other counties throughout the United States. Though primarily rural, Okmulgee County still needs to keep up with the unrelenting demands of road maintenance on a limited budget. This struggle is nothing new to the county administration scene, but how Okmulgee County is dealing with this issue is a testament to common sense and frugality.

Because rural county roads sustain a lesser burden of average daily traffic and the county itself is supported by a smaller tax base, the amount of money reserved for annual maintenance is much less than that of larger communities. Some rural county road commissions see their lower maintenance budget as a reason to rely more on basic maintenance methods or to dedicate their resources to smaller-scale projects. Okmulgee County is taking a more balanced approach by practicing basic maintenance when facing less severe problems and committing to substantial repair methods, such as road recycling, for long-term solutions.

This by no means is new thinking. Most county road commissions understand that recycling is a better way to address failing roads as opposed to patching, but typically rural entities cannot afford to buy recycling equipment. The Okmulgee County Commissioners could not agree more - that's why they rent the machines.

"If we had the money, we'd buy a recycler right now," said Jim Henson, District One County Commissioner for Okmulgee County. "But because we don't have the money nor is it feasible for us to buy one, we are currently renting the units."

Okmulgee County is broken up into three districts, each with its own commissioner. The commissioners serve on the Board of County Commissioners and meet on a regular basis at the courthouse in Okmulgee, Okla., to discuss county business and vote on appropriations. Each district must oversee an approximate amount of road, along with having to manage separate equipment fleets, materials and crews to maintain it. District one is responsible for 362 miles, district two includes 276 miles and district three maintains 333 miles.

"Though we each have our own equipment fleets, we do share equipment and manpower from time to time," said Henson. "We all work well together - that's one of the keys to our success." Each year, the commission decides what work needs to be done and what it will take to complete it. Currently, Okmulgee County dedicates about 15 percent of its annual road maintenance budget to road recycling.

"Basically, it comes down to which roads need it most - then we grind them up with the recycler and resurface them," said Henson. "We've got about 8 miles we want to do this summer. Other less serious maintenance concerns are addressed with new asphalt lifts and patching."