Some Denton County roads that have not been paved or properly maintained for years because of restrictive county policies may soon receive much needed improvements after the Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to revise its road paving policy.

The new policy will allow for exceptions to the rule that all improvements and re-pavings need a full 60 feet of right-of-way dedication before work can begin.

“Common sense dictates that going from a gravel road to chipseal does not always require that we receive a full 60 feet of dedication,” said Commissioner Andy Eads who has made roads a priority since being elected in November. “Still, not all roads will qualify, but in some cases, this would allow us to make some much needed and long overdue improvements.”

Chipseal is a thin base of asphalt with embedded stones that is primarily used on smaller county roads.

The new policy will prioritize roads by whether the road is part of a school bus route, whether the road has a traffic count of 180 vehicles a day, and whether the county road has 80 percent or more of its constituents willing to donate the right of way, Eads said.

Commissioner Cynthia White, who represents Precinct 1 — the precinct that has the most county roads — said she has been working to change the policy for years.

“There are certain situations where the drainage is required, but there are also a lot of situations where we don’t need the drainage,” she said. “Basically, what this does is gives us more flexibility.”

The goal is for this policy to reduce the number of gravel roads, which require continual year-round maintenance, due to weather conditions. Gravel roads also require expensive and continuous dust control measures, she said.

While the new policy will cost more initially to pave the roads, White said, the county will save money in the long run because of paved roads’ longevity and because they require less maintenance than gravel roads.

MONTY MILLER JR. can be reached at 940-566-6875. His e-mail address is mwmiller@dentonrc.com