November 25, 2022
By: Dwayne Page
Road Supervisor Danny Hale is asking the county commission to adopt a resolution establishing a requirement for those building new driveways to their properties off county roads to first obtain a permit.
During Monday night’s monthly meeting, County Mayor Matt Adcock plans to submit such a resolution for passage by the county commission. If approved, Road Supervisor Hale would be allowed to start a permitting process requiring new driveways to have a leveled five-foot buffer from county roads. This would not apply to any existing driveways or any along state highways. There would be no cost to obtain a permit.
Hale said the idea is to keep gravel on inclined driveways from washing off onto county roads after heavy rains causing safety hazards.
“We have so many driveways that are right into the side of the road that head up hill and its dangerous because after every big rain you have two or three feet of gravel out in the road. At night if you’re coming down that road and its washed that gravel out there and you’re meeting another car on that side it’s a safety hazard,” said Road Supervisor Hale during the county commission meeting last month.
In a prepared statement, Hale said “The DeKalb County Highway Department hereby requests the County Commission adopt a resolution requiring all residents installing a new driveway to get a driveway permit. The permit will state that all new driveways must have a minimum of 5-foot level when finished from the side of the road when the grade is higher than the road. There will be no charge for the permit, but the specs must be met when installing the new driveway. This will eliminate the washing of aggregate or debris onto a main road causing a safety hazard. The permits can be acquired at the DeKalb County Highway Department, 720 Smith Road, Smithville”.
The proposed resolution to be considered by the county commission Monday night states as follows:
“Whereas, in order to eliminate safety hazards on county roads caused by the washing of aggregate and or debris from driveways connecting to county roads, and whereas in order to establish a minimum standard for the construction of driveways connecting to county roads in DeKalb County, now therefore be it resolved that from this day forward all property owners desiring to install a driveway connecting to a county road in DeKalb County must first obtain a permit from the DeKalb County Highway Department located at 720 Smith Road. Any new driveway entrance constructed onto the property with a grade higher than the existing roadway shall be a minimum of five feet level with the roadway measured from the edge of the existing roadway”.
The county commission meeting will be Monday night, November 28 at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Mike Foster Multi-Purpose Center.