Paving Menifee's dirt roads can be a complicated process

There are more than 76 miles of dirt roads in Menifee, but not all are eligible to be paved. (Staff photo)

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Menifee City Council members on Wednesday received a report from city staff on the cost and work involved with paving dirt roads in the city.

The presentation by Public Works Director Nick Fidler was made at the request of Mayor Ricky Estrada, who said he received many complaints from residents during his time as District 2 council representative. According to Estrada, residents complained that dirt road maintenance that used to be performed by Riverside County crews has not been continued on a consistent basis since the City of Menifee incorporated.

Fidler reported that of the roughly 600 miles of roads in Menifee, 76.45 miles are dirt roads (13 percent). A number of those are private roads that are not subject to City maintenance, and Fidler acknowledged that not all residents are in favor of having their dirt road paved even if it’s possible.

A greater concern, according to some residents interviewed by Menifee 24/7, is that many dirt roads have extremely rough surfaces and potholes and need to be smoothed out through the blading process with a motor grader. They say that maintenance was performed when Menifee was governed by the county.

Fidler said staff members are in the process of putting all road maps into a GPS system and setting up a schedule for blading of dirt roads that are under public jurisdiction. Blading would not occur on private roads, however.

One such private road is a section of Daily Road south of Scott Road. Christine Nordstrom, who lives at the top of the road, spoke about the need for maintenance. However, Fidler said it’s a private road and “portions have no right of way dedication.”

As far as paving dirt roads that are public, Fidler’s description of the work and cost involved was an eye-opener for council members.

First, there are several factors that must be dealt with in paving a dirt road, including:

Monitoring the effects on protected wildlife, such as burrowing owls.
Accommodating water run-off that increases when roads are paved.
Working around blue-line streams.
Increasing the width. Many dirt roads are only 30 feet wide – half of what is needed.
Removing boulders.
Cost of right-of-way acquisition.

The extent to which such factors are involved could raise the general paving cost, which is costly as is. Fidler said the cost of paving a “perfect mile” – a mile that is level, is publicly dedicated, is on the General Plan, and has the proper width – is estimated at $2.5 million for “rural collector” roads and $1.9 million for “rural local” roads.

“I think this presentation is backwards,” said Mayor Pro Tem Bob Karwin. “If residents came to us with a specific request, we could consider them on a case-by-case basis. But I don’t agree with just going around the city and trying to figure out which roads should be paved, whether the people want them paved or not.”

Council member Dan Temple agreed.

“Some people prefer to live on a dirt road,” he said. “Sometimes we look for something to solve when there isn’t a problem.”

One way that individual projects can be funded, Fidler said, is through the formation of a Local Improvement District (LID) – similar to a Community Facility District (CFD), where residents of a specific area contribute to the cost through taxes.

Estrada acknowledged that the entire project isn’t feasible but asked that a blading schedule be established as soon as possible.

“I wanted to bring this up to be the best representative I can and help educate residents on how the process works,” he said. “I did my job and brought the issue to light. We need a plan for how members of the community can start an LID.”

Fidler said a process is already in place for residents to apply for an LID. He said a link is available on the City website – https://cityofmenifee.us – by typing “local dirt paving program” in the search box.