Board adopts updated 2060 Transportation Network Sustainability Plan

The Washington County Board voted to adopt an updated transportation network sustainability plan that extends planning to the year 2060 and shifts emphasis toward earlier preventive maintenance.

"Purpose of this plan is to determine funding necessary to provide efficient mobility," said Josh Glass, the assistant highway commissioner, presenting the update. Glass summarized key changes since the plan’s prior iterations, citing rising per‑mile costs and an aim to get more years of useful life from pavement by advancing crack‑filling and chip‑sealing schedules.

The presentation compared earlier and current cost estimates: pulverize-and-repave costs cited in the original plan were roughly $250,000 per mile; the updated plan shows per‑mile repaving now over $500,000. Reconstruction work that includes utility relocations and right‑of‑way can exceed $3,000,000 per mile. The plan breaks projects into five‑year windows (2026–2030, 2031–2035, etc.) and identifies a model decision point around 2037 when an estimated $4 million shortfall could require adjustments.

Glass emphasized safety-driven prioritization (using accident‑severity mapping and intersection safety analyses) and a 25‑year pavement life-cycle goal the county is aiming to achieve through increased maintenance. He told the board the plan is a flexible, “living” document that will be re‑evaluated as costs, funding sources and technology evolve.

The board voted electronically on the resolution endorsing the plan; the chair recorded the outcome as unanimous, with 18 yes, 0 no and 1 absent.