Roads
There are about 12 miles of roads in the Retreat, 10 miles of them "primary." These are privately owned and maintained by the RLA Roads Committee. The primary objective of the road maintenance program is to provide safe driving conditions on the Retreat roads. This includes snowplowing and grading to reduce icy patches, eroded ruts, and washboard conditions. This is especially important on the roads with steep grades, sharp curves, and dangerous drop-offs. Also culverts must be monitored and cleared to keep overflows from washing out the road.
During the winter months, we begin early-morning plowing on days when the snowfall is deeper than 4". We have two operators, one primary and the other a backup.
Your neighbors appreciate it when you keep your speed below the limit of 20 mph. It is important for safety on curves and also to reduce dust. This also reduces the wear-and-tear on the roads and saves us all money. Shifting into 4WD will help reduce the wash-boarding, particularly on the steep sections and curves. Unlicensed vehicles such as ATV’s and motorcycles are not allowed on the Retreat roads.
It is essential that the roads are accessible to the snow plow, grader, and fire department equipment. For your safety and that of your neighbors, do not park on the roads. Guest's vehicles can be parked along the road right-of-way, but only temporarily.
When the road base material has washed away to the point where grading exposes large rocks, it becomes a road restoration program. It is necessary to add material to get back to a smooth surface. Recycled asphalt is a more cost effective type of material because it resists erosion better than standard road base. Grading costs are then reduced because less grading is needed.
There are plans to restore the road surface on several sections over the next few years as our budget allows. Here are the priorities at this time. We will update this periodically.
Priority Description Miles
FY19-20 Streamside Drive from CR43 to RLA Boundary 0.1
FY19-20 Miller Fork Entrance & Switchbacks 0.2
FY20-21 .Elkridge & Bulwark 0.3
Total 0.6