Mudding damaging rural roadways

FARGO (KVRR) — As temperatures get warmer, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office is reminding the public about the cost of damaging rural roadways.

Sheriff Jesse Jahner says that every year Cass County’s rural roadways see significant damage from recreational mudding, when drivers purposefully spin their tires to create deep tracks in the roadway.

This damage is expensive to repair, especially in rural townships where the cost can have a large impact on town budgets.

Jahner says that damaged roads can pose a safety risk for drivers.

“Causing some severe ruts in the road and then of course. Over the night time when it gets cold again that somewhat freezes, people driving down those roads, hitting those ruts and maybe losing control the vehicle. And so, it’s really been an issue for us over the last couple of years, and the townships out in the rural areas don’t have a lot of money to continually fix these roads.”

Damaging a public road is a Class B Misdemeanor could be punishable wit up to 30 days in jail, as well as forcing the driver to pay restitution for the damages.