Dirt and gravel roads

The district receives annual funding from the State Conservation Commission to repair and maintain dirt and gravel roads in the county. The district board of directors, upon recommendation from the county Quality Assurance Board, awards local municipalities grants to provide for the environmentally sensitive maintenance of dirt and gravel roads that are causing sediment pollution to streams. Priority is given to roads that are badly eroded, drain to high quality waterways and applications that have a high degree of matching funds from the municipality.

Although the Dirt and Gravel Road Program pays for public roads, the Westmoreland Conservation District will offer technical assistance for private roads, lanes and driveways.

Click here for a closer look at recent dirt and gravel road project locations and descriptions

The Center For Dirt and Gravel Road Studies

www.dirtandgravelroads.org

Created in 2001, the Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies is contracted by the PA State Conservation Commission (SCC) to provide services to PA's Dirt and Gravel Road Maintenance Program. The center’s efforts on this front include:
- Development and delivery of Environmentally Sensitive Maintenance (ESM) training.
- Technical documentation of ESM practices.
- Educational efforts for conservation districts.
- Technical assistance on projects.
- Development and maintenance of a GIS System to track and map projects.
- Advising the SCC on program policies.

Currently, approximately half of the Center's funding comes through Pennsylvania's Dirt and Gravel Road Maintenance Program. The Center also partners with other agencies through grants to provide technical assistance and research including the PA Bureau of Forestry, the Chesapeake Bay Commission, the PA Department of Environmental Protection, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, the Great Lakes Commission, and others.