Nine Mile Falls area residents may have been wondering why four miles of Charles Road there were becoming pocked with holes and rough spots shortly after Spokane County worked on it.

The short answer is that the county isn’t finished yet, said Diana Sargent in the county’s engineering department.

Spokane County used a new process on the road, grinding it down and then recycling the pavement on site by mixing it with lime and oil and rolling it out onto the roadway. The same technique was used this year on the Palouse Highway.

The new Charles Road base needed to cure for at least 10 days before final paving, said Sargent.
Now that that time has passed, the county is planning to return todayWednesday to pave over the base.

That will take at least a couple of days, weather permitting. Drives should expect pilot cars during paving.