For a rock with no adhesive properties, gravel has become a major sticking point in the Athens County engineer’s race.
Incumbent Archie Stanley and challenger Jeff Maiden have clashed over how many miles of Athens County roads are gravel. The candidates have swapped accusations, and it has become a factor in the race.
Though figures from the Ohio Department of Transportation indicate there are about 140 miles of gravel road, the Athens County engineer disputes that, saying there are only about 50 miles.
The Post surveyed all of the roads that ODOT and the county engineer’s records listed as gravel with Mike King, a manager for the engineering department who compiles the road reports.
After the survey, The Post found only about 50 miles of road are gravel.
Both candidates said they consider King to be a trustworthy source.
“The data in (the ODOT report) is from a baseline measurement of the county roads from years ago,” said David Blackstone, an ODOT spokesman. “Archie is the county engineer responsible for those roads. … We have to rely on the elected officials to get us that data.”
The department relies on county engineers to update the state records of how many miles of gravel road are in each county, Blackstone said, adding that total mileage is updated more frequently than the type of surface for each road.
“(ODOT has) never asked us for (surface-type information), and I’ve never read any Ohio Revised Code legislation that says we are required to (report it),” Archie Stanley said. “I believe it’s more of a voluntary thing.”
Stanley said he did not know when the record saying there are 130 miles of gravel road in the county had been reported but that there were only 50 miles as early as 2006.
“Our campaign has been run on fact. We have had a horrible campaign run against us,” Stanley said. “I’m just so happy to have my staff’s reputation confirmed.”
Maiden said he trusts King’s integrity but is skeptical about the mileage.
“I would be cautious about saying there’s only 50 miles of gravel road unless you check the entire county out,” Maiden said. “If I’m engineer, I won’t submit a road inventory report that isn’t accurate. … It won’t be this big question mark to how many roads are gravel.”
dd195710@ohiou.edu
