Phases of a Project
Planning
The first step of the planning effort is to conduct an environmental study of each project and determine if there are any major environmental issues along the planned improvements. Examples of these issues may include historic structures, wetlands or endangered species. On some projects, a planning document will be required due to significant environmental impacts and Federal requirements. The projects that do not require these planning documents will go directly to the design phase.
Public involvement is an important component of the planning process. The goal of the program is to give the public an opportunity to have input into each project. One of these opportunities is public meetings which will be held on each project. Information about these meetings can be found on the individual project pages.
Design
Conceptual designs must be developed for each project. This initial design will determine where lanes may be added, roadways shifted, new structures required, etc. These plans will be reviewed and revised as more accurate information is gathered and the conceptual design phase moves to the preliminary design phase of the work.
An opportunity for public input will be provided for each individual project whether there are major or minor impacts to the properties involved. This input will be factored into the planning and design efforts for the project. Once the preliminary design is completed, the design will then progress to the development of right of way plans. These plans will show the limits of construction and the proposed right of way limits.
Right of Way Acquisition
Right of way acquisition is the process of acquiring property by determining the fair market value of property required for the road improvement, and providing compensation to the property owner. Only when engineers have progressed to the right of way plan stage can specific determinations be made with respect to impacts and encroachments on particular properties.
When the right of way plans are complete, the right of way acquisition effort will commence while the final construction documents are prepared for bidding. Because it is difficult to determine how the right of way negotiation process will be received by each affected property owner the schedule for this portion of the process is very difficult to determine.
The County does not compensate citizens for right of way needed on gravel road projects. Citizens are asked to donate the necessary property to the County. Before a gravel road can be paved, the County must be in receipt of all the necessary rights of way.
Construction
Once all necessary rights of way have been acquired and the final construction documents are completed, the projects will be bid for construction. Once construction bids have been received, they are evaluated by a review committee, and a recommendation is made to the York County Council for consideration. Once the County Council approves a construction bid, work may begin on the project.
For the status of individual projects, click on the home page tab, then on the Interactive Map in the top right corner, and select the project you are interested in.