I read the April 12 Chieftain article about the reconstruction of the Zumwalt Road. I know that road very well after ranching out there most of my life.

The road has been reconstructed at least two times that I can remember. Each time the road has deteriorated because of lack of maintenance.

When I read the article, a big red flag jumped out at me: People can go 70 mph on the road. That’s a sure way of having a serious accident. Graveled roads aren’t built for high speeds. We had a couple of calves killed because of high speeds. People need to remember that all that country is open range. Livestock have the right of way. A speed limit needs to be enforced.

There are other factors involved with the deterioration of that road.

Factor I: Blading: Leaving gravel berms on the edge of the road so water can’t run off instead of running down the road.

Factor II: Barrow pits: They aren’t kept cleaned out or they are bladed full of gravel so they can’t carry the full water runoff.

Factor III: Culverts: They aren’t cleaned out on a regular basis and plug up, putting water back in the road or subbing under the road, making soft spots.

I hate to see Wallowa County put that kind of time and money into that road or any other roads if they can’t properly maintain roads like they are supposed to be.

Casey Tippett

Joseph