Roadside Maintenance

Shasta County Road Maintenance Crews maintain hundreds of miles of unpaved and gravel shoulders, drainage ditches, gutters and culverts. Roadside maintenance activities include mowing, weed spraying, brush cutting, culvert and ditch maintenance, street sweeping and litter clean up. Such activities are necessary to eliminate potential hazards from the traveled way, maintain adequate visibility, support the road structure and allow storm water to readily exit the roadway.

Vegetation Control

It is necessary to control roadside vegetation to preserve sight distance, eliminate drainage interference, prevent unsightly growth and reduce fire hazard. Vegetation control consists of mowing, weed spraying and brush cutting. When the fire danger is low, County crews can perform roadside mowing. Weed spraying is performed at the beginning of each growing season. Chemical compounds are applied to roadside areas to control existing undesirable vegetation and retard further growth.

The Department contracts with a private contractor properly licensed and trained for this specialized work. Brush cutting and tree removal involves the removal of larger vegetation such as bushes, limbs and small trees that obstruct the traveled way or present a potential safety hazard. County Maintenance Crews perform the majority of the brush cutting operations. Contractors are utilized for larger or more specialized brush cutting and tree removal projects.

Drainage Maintenance

Drainage maintenance includes such work as necessary to maintain proper drainage from and adjacent to the roadway and through culverts. This work includes the cleaning and shaping of roadside ditches in conjunction with blading roadside shoulders, cleaning gutters, mechanical sweeping of areas with curb and gutter, and cleaning, repairing and replacing culverts.

Litter Removal

Litter and debris often accumulates within County right-of-way. Large accumulations can constitute health or safety hazards. These areas are cleaned by Road Maintenance Crews. Work release crews from the Probation Department are also utilized at times for litter clean up. The Public Works Department also has an Adopt-A-Highway program for citizens who wish to volunteer to pickup litter along County Roads.