Municipal Class 4 Road Erosion Remediation Project Workshops

OVERVIEW:

The primary objective of this project is to reduce sediment and phosphorus runoff by implementing road Best Management Practices (BMPs) on hydrologically-connected municipal road segments, specifically Class 4 roads, within the Lake Champlain watershed. Hydrologically-connected road segments are those sections of road at high risk to impact adjacent surface waters, lakes, ponds, perennial and intermittent streams, and wetlands.   In addition to CVRPC’s Final Report on this project, the State has developed a hydrologically-connected road segment GIS layer that is available on the VT ANR Natural Resources Atlas – http://anr.vermont.gov/maps/nr-atlas. Secondary benefits of implementing road BMPs are improved flood resiliency and road safety. This project demonstrated the importance of municipalities addressing significant erosion sources from Class 4 roads.

BMPs implemented during the project include drainage and driveway culvert upgrades, turn out installations, culvert outlet stabilizations, culvert headwall stabilizations, grass and stone-lined drainage ditch installations, roadside berm removal, and road resurfacing. All of these practices promote road stormwater disconnection, infiltration and conveyance stability.

Two workshops highlighting the completed Municipal Class 4 Road Erosion Remediation and Demonstration Projects were held in late August. The workshops focused on the BMP utilized to address significant erosion sources from Class 4 roads, the cost and time expended for the specific BMP installed by road and segment, and how each road segment now meets the Municipal Roads General Permit standards. By sharing the project remediation and demonstration components and having a “lessons learned” discussion, other municipalities across the state will learn how to replicate the Class 4 erosion BMP. Site visits to the specific demonstration project areas helped to showcase the work that has been completed.

LESSONS LEARNED:

Many Class 4 roads have been minimally maintained for years with the occasional grading and/or maintenance of the culverts and bridges. CVRPC found many towns reluctant to work on these roads even with funding available. The reasons for their reluctance included other priority roadway projects to work on; Class 4 roads in town serve very few residents; off-road and 4 wheeler use would ruin the work; the remote erosion location would require upgrading the road in order to reach the area in need of fixing, costing more than fix itself.

This project’s success was at identifying locations where the town had a strong need or desire to have the roadway in better condition. For instance, Apple Hill in Calais is a short cut between two roads in Calais, providing a convenience for residents to reduce travel time and distance. Hancock Brook in Worcester is an emergency access to the north east part of town if Hampshire Hill Rd washes out. These and other reasons are why the sites were selected and work was performed by the towns.

BY THE NUMBERS:

28 Segments of road were addressed over 1.7 total miles in 4 towns.

Grant Award was $100,000 with a local match of $20,000 for a total construction value of $120,000.

Actuals as of 8/22/18:  $72,131 municipal reimbursement from grant with local match of $18,033 for a total construction value of $90,164.

NOTE:  All costs outlined are estimates and individual town costs may differ         

 *This project was funded with a grant from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation and the Lake Champlain Basin Program

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