Gravel Road Maintenance and Seasonal Closures

March 9, 2023 – Last fall the road maintenance department spent many hours and valuable resources on all gravel roads to try and keep them in good condition throughout the fall and into the spring. However, with the amount and timing of rainfall we received directly before the first snowfall, roads became potholed and washboard.

Roads were rough in the beginning of the snow removal season, but road maintenance staff were able to blade them off to make the surface smooth and drivable throughout the winter. With the recent warm weather, the snow cap that had been maintained all winter is melting off and exposing the potholes making driving hazardous and unpleasant. Road Maintenance staff had attempted to smooth the surface this week with scarifier blades.

Road Closure Signs
The gravel roads experience this same phenomenon every spring and usually must wait until the road surface and subsurface thaw enough to machine grade. There is little that can be done until the conditions are right for use of the road grader. As a result, the road maintenance staff will be placing “road closed” signs on several roads – including Bradum Road and others that will be identified as they develop. Travel on these will be at your own risk.

Community Support & Patience
Adding to this already challenging situation, roads staff were accosted by a community member while performing important de-icing maintenance on a culvert. This incident has led to the resignation of one of the Tribe’s most experienced road maintenance employees. The care of our road system will certainly suffer with the loss of this individual. We are hoping that we do not lose more personnel because of similar reported incidents.

We ask that the community please have patience and be respectful to our roads staff. They work diligently to provide road maintenance services for the community. Please contact the Tribal Administration Building with any questions.

Miigwech,
Red Cliff Tribal Administration
715-779-3700