Benton County farmers demand bigger say in future road work

Farmers want to help manage gravel roads in Benton County after some stretches were left in nearly unusable condition this spring.

Nearly two dozen local farmers handed a letter to Benton County commissioners on Tuesday asking that rural landowners advise the road department on maintaining the 200-plus miles of gravel road serving farms and rural neighborhoods.

“The committee could bring citizen concerns to the department along with knowledgeable and informed solutions to facilitate a quick resolution should problems arise or more hopefully prevent them altogether,” it read.

Rallied by Bud Hamilton, a dryland wheat farmer from the Rattlesnake Mountain area, angry farmers say critical roads were heavily damaged during routine spring maintenance, when the county also was working to repair winter storm damage and mitigate future water damage.

The damage included pitted roads, oversized rocks, steep slopes and deep dirt where gravel should be. Deepened ditches impede access to fields and farms as well, Hamilton said.

The problem extends from Rattlesnake Mountain south to the Horse Heaven Hills, on the county’s west side.

Hamilton blames new standards pushed by management while the county road engineer calls it a case of miscommunication within the department and said the county is not interested in creating new drainage ditches.

Restoring roads is a priority for the county as the wheat harvest looms. The winter and spring wheat harvest typically begins in July in Washington, a little over a month away.

The county terminated a road department supervisor last week over the dispute, commissioners acknowledged Tuesday.

Regardless of the reason for the botched road work, farmers say it’s affecting their operations. Ruts, potholes and oversized rocks damage farm equipment.

Higher crowns at the center of the road threaten to topple top-heavy vehicles. One fire officials said fire engines might not be able to use some roads.

“The roads are the evidence of mismanagement,” Hamilton told the county’s elected leaders.

In addition to asking the county to make room for an informal advisory committee, the farmers told the county they want an explanation for what went wrong within 30 days.

This story was originally published May 23, 2017 at 5:17 PM with the headline "Benton County farmers demand bigger say in future road work."