There were more than 300 miles of gravel road in Frederick County, almost one quarter of all county-maintained roads at that time.

The Frederick County Roads Board requested that the Board of County Commissioners adopt a gravel roads program to protect the 140 miles of gravel roads. The proposal was not adopted, but interest in preserving rural roads continued.

In response to another Roads Board request, the Board of County Commissioners asked the Department of Public Works to explore the idea of a rural roads program and come up with a proposal. At this time, there were only 81 gravel roads left in Frederick County and another 9 were scheduled for paving in the coming year.

The Board of County Commissioners unanimously adopted a proposal developed by an ad hoc committee of civic organization representatives, county staff, and the Friends of Rural Roads. The program suspended the county’s Stabilization Program whereby all gravel roads remaining in the county would eventually be improved with a tar and chip surface. Strong citizen support at the public hearing on the proposal was a key factor in bringing about adoption of the Rural Roads Resolution which included Frederick County’s then 61 remaining miles of gravel roads.

Local realtors Bach & Associates published a calendar featuring photographs of the Gravel Roads of Frederick by Harriet Wise.

Poffenberger Road in Jefferson was re-surfaced as an experimental project using Driving Surface Aggregate (DSA), a material and technique recommended by the Center for Dirt and Gravel Roads Studies at Penn State University. It was hoped that the project could help determine if the costs of gravel road construction and maintenance could be reduced.

The Frederick County Rural Roads Program celebrated its 10th anniversary with a series of events to showcase the value of gravel roads. These included a butterfly walk, a bird walk, plein air painting, a horseback ride, a Gravel Grinder bike trip, a photography contest, and an antique car circuit ride.

The middle section of Tower Road was removed from the Rural Roads Program, and subsequently widened and paved at the request of local residents.

Department of Public Works proposed changes to the Rural Road Program. [Note: As of 2019, these changes have not yet been agreed upon or approved by the Roads Board, the County Council, or County Executive.]

Major storms in the Spring caused flooding and road destruction County-wide, especially affecting the gravel roads. As a result, more residents consider being removed from the Rural Roads Program in order to have their roads repaired.

Friends of Rural Roads works to find a solution that balances the preservation of scenic, historic roads while maintaining safe and accessible surfaces.