Road, Bridge, & Stormwater Maintenance Division

The Collier County Road, Bridge, & Stormwater Maintenance Division is responsible for maintaining roads, bridges, sidewalks, roadside ditches, drainage culverts, storm drain system curb inlets, curb and gutter along county-maintained roads, and handles accident clean up and traffic control when needed.

In addition, the Aquatic Plant Control Section controls and maintains approximately 180 miles of secondary canals, 230 miles of tertiary canals and ditches and 47 weirs/structures. Certified personnel use specialized equipment to maintain the secondary canals, roadway ditches, and county-maintained ponds and lakes for sedimentation, aquatic and exotic vegetation species.

In order to provide for the safe and efficient movement of all modes of traffic, it is essential to maintain all aspects of the road and right-of-way at the highest reasonable level of safety. Improvements consistent with upgrading of safety standards or changes in traffic are also required to maintain the facility in a quality condition. Since maintenance is a costly operation, every effort is made to provide the maximum safety benefit from each maintenance operation. The fact that a major portion of the maintenance effort is necessary to merely preserve the economic investment in a facility should not be considered as justification for sacrificing the requirements for maintaining or improving the safety characteristics of a street or highway.

The major objectives of a maintenance program include the following:

• Maintain all highway features and components in the best possible condition
• Improve substandard features, with the ultimate goal to at least meet minimum standards
• Provide proper maintenance devices for a minimum of traffic disruptions and/or hazards to traffic
• Locating and reporting of inadequate safety features
• Identify needs
• Establish priorities
• Establish procedures
• Establish and maintain a regular program of maintenance for all aspects of highway maintenance

The maintenance activities determined to be necessary are carried out on a priority basis. The establishment of priorities is based, to a large extent, upon the objective of promoting highway safety. A high priority is given to the improvement or correction of situations that may result in fatal or serious crashes. Preservation of highway investment and promotion of efficient traffic operations are important maintenance objectives. Every effort is made to ensure the highest safety payoff from the maintenance dollar.

Emergency Maintenance

Emergency maintenance operations are those required to immediately restore the highway to a safe condition. Emergency maintenance work is carried out by personnel who are specially trained and qualified. Emergency operations include the following:

• The removal of debris from crashes, cargo spillage, or other causes
• Replacement of inoperative traffic control devices
• Repair or replacement of damaged highway safety components such as traffic control devices, redirection, and energy absorbing devices
• Repair and/or correction of any situation that provides an immediate or unexpected hazard to the public
• Assistance in any activity during emergency response operations

Routine Maintenance

Routine maintenance operations are those that may be predicted and planned in advance. These operations, which may be preventive or corrective in nature, are conducted on a regularly scheduled basis using standard procedures. Proper scheduling of these operations is utilized to provide minimum disruptions and hazards to the driving public. Routine maintenance includes operations such as:

• Cleaning and debris removal from the pavement, shoulders, and roadside clear zones
• Mowing quantities and other vegetation control operations to provide a smooth recovery area and to maintain proper sight distance
• Cleaning and inspection of gutters, ditches, and other drainage structures
• Preventive maintenance on bridges, guardrail and other structures
• Replacement and maintenance of traffic control devices
• Inspection and maintenance of redirection and energy absorbing devices
• Inspection and maintenance of pavement and shoulders, with particular emphasis on maintaining shoulders flush with the pavement
• Inspection and maintenance of all highway components and safety features
• Inspection and maintenance of pedestrian pavements, crossings, etc., with particular emphasis on meeting the intent of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
• To access the Limerock Conversion Program Schedule, please refer to the Limerock Road Conversion Program & Grading Cycle link in the left hand column.
• The primary purpose of pavement maintenance is to ensure the pavement characteristics are reasonably maintained. This is accomplished by the following:
• A process that monitors the serviceability of the existing streets and highways and identifies the pavement sections that are inadequate
• A systematic plan of maintenance activities designed to correct structural deficiencies and to prevent rapid deterioration
• A preservation program, with assigned priorities, designed to resurface, reconstruct, or replace pavements when they are no longer structurally serviceable
• Pavement maintenance requires a substantial portion of the total maintenance budget for streets and highways. It is necessary to ensure highway safety. A smooth-riding, skid-resistant surface must be provided at all times to allow for safe vehicle maneuvers. The reduction of hydroplaning and splashing is essential for promoting safe and efficient operation during wet weather conditions. The elimination of driving discomfort, and vehicle damage caused by deteriorated pavements, provides additional economic justification for maintaining the pavement in a fully serviceable condition.
• It is recognized that a comprehensive preservation program is expensive. Adequate financing is required to successfully carry out these activities. The establishment of appropriate budget priorities and careful planning can assist in developing and conducting a pavement maintenance and preservation program that will, within a reasonable number of years, bring substandard pavements up to the required level of serviceability and will maintain the adequacy of the entire system.

Special Maintenance

Special maintenance operations are defined as those projects that are neither urgent nor routine in nature but are occasionally required to improve or maintain a street or highway in a quality condition. Since these projects can be planned in advance of the initiation of any work, procedures that provide for efficient, rapid, and safe operations can be developed. To avoid continuing disruptions of traffic, the quality and durability of these improvements, corrections, and repairs are maintained at the highest practicable level. Special maintenance includes the upgrading of the highway safety features, as well as the repair or replacement of damaged or deteriorated highway components. These operations should be designed to upgrade or maintain the street or highway in accordance with the standards.

Collier County Road Maintenance Division maintains approximately 2,599 lane miles, 1,159 centerline miles of paved roads and 64 centerline miles of unpaved roads.