County public works abandons two roads

A pair of former roads were formally abandoned by Whitman County commissioners Monday morning.

Public Works Director Mark Storey said both roads, the F.M. Thompson and Jesse Lewis Roads, were actually former roads that have become just pieces of property owned by the county.

“There haven’t been roads there for 50 years,” said Storey.

Both roads, off the Wawawai Road west of Colton, were made obsolete when Wawawai Road was rebuilt in the 1930s.

Neither the F.M. Thompson nor the Jesse Lewis Road have signs and they are not marked on county maps.

Abandonment means the land now becomes property of the adjacent landowners who will have to reimburse the county for the ground.

Also Monday, the county’s public works department removed weight restrictions on all roads on the west side of the county except three. Thorn Creek, Cashup Flat and Ralph Henning Roads remain closed to heavy loads.

Traffic is limited to prevent damage to roads as winter thaws cause cracking.

Permits from the county have been needed for traffic weighing more than 19,560 pounds gross vehicle weight since December.

Roads east of Highway 195 and the Almota Road will remain closed to heavy loads until next week, said Phil Meyer, county maintenance operations manager.

Included is the nearly 400 miles of seasonal farm access roads, which allow access to some of the most remote parts of the county.

The primitive dirt roads are closed each winter from Nov. 15 to Mar. 15. Heavy snow and rains have left the roads a muddy mess, making them virtually impassable, past the posted opening date March 15.