Coal Bank Road Repair Update

by Yasmeen

07 June 2013

What we did:

photo of Coal Bank Road

Over the past two days we finished the first stage of repairs to Coal Bank Road (leading to the Solar Collector, Darkside, Far Side, and Crossroads Crags). Mike Driskell has worked patiently with the oil company and as a result, the RRGCC and ANGi have come to an agreement: ANGi will supply the machinery and labor for road maintenance and the RRGCC will supply the gravel and materials.

The dozer operator began by removing all the large stones throughout the road. He graded the road from the turn off to the parking lot and cut a shoulder into the road to keep brush back. He added drainage along the side of the road and installed a 15-inch by 30-foot culvert midway up the hill to minimize water damage to the road. He cleared brush in the parking lot, filled in the mud hole, and created drainage so it would not fill with water again. He also created drainage off the hill so that water would no longer flow from the top of Far Side down the oil road, and cut a trench in the parking area. We then called a local gravel company to deliver 4 loads of gravel and graveled the road from the turn off up to (but not including) the parking lot.

By working patiently with ANGi, Mike Driskell arranged for them to provide the dozer and operator at no cost to the RRGCC and resulted in saving thousands of dollars. The RRGCC supplied the materials at a cost of $2300.

Next Steps:

photo of Coal Bank Road

After the gravel settles and compacts, we will order 2 more loads of dense grade gravel for the hill. This gravel is the fine gravel they have used on the Bald Rock Hill (Motherlode Hill) and is what has helped keep that road in such good shape. This should take one day and we hope to have it completed at the end of June or beginning of July. The anticipated cost is between $1000 and $1400.

We are also considering options for graveling the parking lot. Ideally, we would like to have the budget to complete both the new parking lot at Flat Holler and gravel this parking lot as well. We will be assessing budget issues over the next two months to determine what is feasible on the current donations. The anticipated cost is TBD.

What you can do to help:

First and foremost, the biggest help will be for you to drive slowly and steadily on the entire length of road. Frequent changes in speed and sudden braking cause ruts in the road, which are difficult to fix. If you have a 4WD vehicle, consider not driving in the same tire tracks as everyone else to help prevent ruts.

If you have a 2WD vehicle and you find that when you drive on gravel hills your tires frequently spin, consider parking on the side of the road at the top of the very first hill until we are able to add the additional gravel at the end of the month. There is a section that was widened for this purpose. Please make sure your vehicle is completely off the road and that trucks can make the turn from the side road to go down to Fixer Road. You may also consider putting your car into first gear and driving very slowly and steadily to prevent your wheels from spinning.

The second thing you can do to help is set up a recurring donation of $10, $15, or $20 (or more!) each month. To do so, please visit our donation page. Recurring donations help us with maintenance costs since we know the exact amount of money to expect at any given time. This allows for planning of projects such as road repair and parking lot construction. We value all donations and also welcome one-time donations. A fun way to donate this week is to visit West Sixth Brewing on Saturday, June 8 for their fundraiser for the RRGCC!

The third thing you can do to help is to keep being a good neighbor for ANGi oil since they are helping the RRGCC save thousands of dollars on maintenance costs. Next time you see a climber praking in front of oil wells, say “Thank you ANGi” by asking the climbers to find another parking spot.

Thank you for supporting the RRGCC.