When are they going to rehabilitate Huff/Imler roads? This road is probably the second-worst road in the Imperial Valley. The road is so deteriorated that it is like driving on gravel and sends your car all over the road. The painted centerlines are about 2 inches higher than the road itself. A while back a quarter-mile section was repaved but it didn’t go nearly far enough. This road is used by a lot of vehicles and has continued to be very dangerous because of its condition. In addition, when is Worthington Road from Forrester to Huff going to be reopened? Bridge No. 58C-0071 has been down since the April 4, 2010, earthquake. Does it really take three years to get a bridge fixed? — Road Weary in the I.V.
You may be happy to hear that the county plans to do some nine miles of work on Huff Road from Evan Hewes Highway to Imler Road. However, this project is not slated to begin until 2015.
Officials said the issue comes down to funding.
“There are way more road projects competing for dollars than money available,” said County Public Works Director Bill Brunet.
Road construction dollars come from a highway-users tax commonly known as the “gas tax,” Brunet said, and local governments apply for those funds.
“You send in a request for authorization for construction,” he said. “If you don’t follow rules and regulations you don’t get funded.”
Any money spent prior to that will not be reimbursed, Brunet added.
As for the bridge on Worthington Road, “the defect is in the roadway, not the bridge,” Brunet said.
The 2010 earthquake caused fissures in the ground and cracks in the roadway’s supporting soil. Fearing sinkholes, officials closed the road. Brunet said the county was waiting for funding, and is accepting bids for repair. He said Worthington Road will hopefully be open in six months.
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