Every year vehicles traveling over gravel roads kick up dust which leaves the road surface. A vehicle traveling one mile on a dirt road every day of the year has been measured to remove 2.59 tons of material per year from the road surface. With the increased vehicle traffic in Park County from both increased residents and recreational activities this amounts to over 100,000 tons of gravel blown off county roads every year. With the cost of gravel around $7.50/ton, it would cost the County more than the total amount paid in property taxes that goes to the road fund to replace the gravel lost on the roads every year. To combat this unwinnable situation the Commissioners had the road department purchase a gravel crusher to use in County gravel pits. The County can crush gravel for a total cost of between $0.67 and $2.33 per ton depending on the location of the pit ($1.00 to $3.50 per cubic yard). This allows the County to crush gravel closer to the location the gravel is needed. In the last year gravel crushed in house has been used on Potter Creek Road, Quinn Creek Road, parts of Swingley Road, shoulders of Old Clyde Park Road, and Divide Road. The County is planning on a large gravel project this summer on Old Yellowstone Trail North and Trail Creek Road. In summer 2025, the County plans on performing a large gravel project on Swingley Road. Many of these roads haven’t seen gravel in over a decade and conditions on them should improve dramatically with the gravel projects.
Questions and concerns can be directed to (406) 222-4114 or mwhitman@parkcounty.org.