The Roads Of Hansford County--Part I

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The Roads of Hansford County: Part 1 by Robert Whitaker

The roads and bridges of our county infrastructure are vitally important to our way of life here. There are many roads crisscrossing the patchwork of farm and ranch land in Hansford County. Some of them are state-owned roads.

State maintained highways and roads are marked by signs that indicate the highway number or farm to market or ranch road numbers (examples: Highway 15, Hwy 207, FM 3214, FM 1261). The Texas DOT maintains these roads from the state budget, and they are all 100% paved with asphalt.

County roads are named by letter or number. Numbered county roads go primarily north and south while lettered county roads go east and west. There are some county roads that are paved, or at least in part. They have the highest amount of traffic in vehicle frequency and more importantly, daily frequency of heavily weighted vehicles such as semi-trucks.

Many of our county roads are caliche. They carry daily traffic and need periodic maintenance by a dedicated county road maintenance crew. The least traveled roads are those that are dirt. It is a major part of a county commissioner’s job to work with his precinct’s road team to keep all of the county roads drivable and safe.

Transporting our kids, cattle, and crops safely and effectively is the prime directive of our county commissioners.

There is a delicate balance that must occur between the county roads budget and need for periodic maintenance and repair. All four county commissioners and the county judge must work together for this balance to be maintained throughout each fiscal year. They are a team that work toward the common goal of moving kids, cattle, and crops safely and effectively while staying within the confines of the county budget.

Priority of road maintenance is always allocated first to those roads with the highest and heaviest amount of traffic. School buses, farmers, ranchers, and energy companies make up over 90% of the traffic on all county roads.

In Hansford County, each commissioner manages his team of two individuals on the road maintenance crew. Each precinct’s team of 3 people is responsible for all of the county roads within that precinct. As I am writing this today, our county road maintenance teams are working hard and long hours to get the snow cleared away. Each team has a planned snow plowing process that they are executing right now so that our kids, our cattle, and our crops can be cared for and moved safely. If you see these men, give them a wave and express your gratitude.

Stay safe and warm.

-Robert