Street Department

Contact Information

Earl Porchia, Superintendent

Phone: (870) 837-5570; Cell – (870) 833-0735

The street department provides services such as paving roads, street maintenance, brush removal, maintenance and repair of storm drainage and sign repair. Through those efforts, the street department will help to improve the quality of life, health and safety for the citizens of the City of Camden.

The City of Camden Street Department provides maintenance for city streets, right-of-way, drainage systems, traffic signals, and sidewalks. Additionally, the Street Department provides new traffic signal, sidewalk, and trail construction utilizing existing City staff, vehicles, and equipment.

The City of Camden’s Street Department manages and maintains all streets, sidewalks, and miles of drainage ditches within the city limits. Additionally, several miles of new trails are under construction.

The Arkansas State Highway (AHTD) maintains state highways and access roads. Highway 7, Highway 79 and Highway 278 are maintained by the state.

Questions or concerns regarding areas maintained by the State of Arkansas can be reported by contacting the local AHTD office by phone at (479) 251-9266.

In the event of an after-hours emergency, please call the Police Department at (870) 836-5755. Street Department crew members are on call 24 hours a day to address emergencies.

Right-Of-Way Program

This program is responsible for the emergency clean-up of street right-of-way in response to storms, litter control or other extreme situations. Mowing of right-of-ways is required approximately eight (8) times per year, trimming around traffic islands and City maintained right-of-way and other areas are required to be maintained by this program as well.

City residents are required to maintain all forms of vegetation from encroaching into the City’s right-of-way. These items can obstruct the sight of traffic and may cause accidents. If you have a question about any vegetation in the right-of-way, the City of Camden’s Office of Code Enforcement will come and evaluate the situation. A determination will be made if the vegetation is in the City’s right-of-way or if it is the responsibility of the property owner. If the vegetation belongs to the resident, the resident will be required to maintain it.

Vegetation Encroaching on Power Line

Trees, shrubs, hedges, flowers and other forms of vegetation that are near a power line or in a power line are maintained by the power company that provides that service. If you notice any vegetation near or in a power line, please call the service provider with the pole number.

Street Maintenance Program

The Street Maintenance Program, in coordination with the Pavement Project, maintains City streets to ensure the safest possible travel conditions, utilizing the most cost-effective maintenance techniques.

Services include but are not limited to the following:

• Asphalt Overlays

• Pot Hole Patching

• Crack Sealing

• Street Cut Repairs

• Gravel Street Maintenance

• Curb & Gutter Repair /Installation

• Shoulder Repair

• Street Sweeping

• Snow & Ice Removal

In the event of severe weather, all programs within the Street Department are combined in order to implement twenty-four hour shifts. Snow and ice removal and/or storm damage repair is provided throughout the duration of the severe weather event to ensure that the safest possible travel conditions are maintained throughout the City.

Existing asphalt streets within the City limits are on a master schedule to be repaved, resurfaced, and/or receive other necessary maintenance every 15 years. Following this maintenance cycle results in fewer complete street rebuilds, which have a significantly greater cost than asphalt overlay.

If you notice an area of a City street that is in need of improvement, maintenance, or repair, please report it to the Street Department.

Traffic Control & Maintenance Program

This program provides for the installation and maintenance of traffic signals, traffic signs, street markers, and signs for other divisions as warranted by the Federal Highway Administration Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (M.U.T.C.D.). This program also performs traffic studies and traffic counts as needed.

The City of Camden maintains street signs and all traffic signals currently in operation. These include several recent traffic signal installations and upgrades completed since 2010 (others on-going).

The location of new traffic signal projects is determined as warrants are met as specified in the Federal Highway Administration Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (M.U.T.C.D.) and when related street projects are completed. The purpose of a traffic signal installation is to assign vehicle right of way and improve the safety of vehicles and pedestrians in the City.

Upgrades to existing signals include outfitting signal control cabinets with battery backups, and replacing wooden or deteriorated metal poles with galvanized steel poles. The City has all existing traffic signals on the citywide closed loop radio signal system and Windows NT CL Mats Peek operating system. All new installations will include LED signal heads and be on the signal system network.

For more information, questions, or comments please contact the Street Department.

Trail Development

The Trail Development Project provides the manpower and equipment necessary to construct new trails, as designated in the Camden Street Department Master Plan.

This program offers alternative Street Department opportunities for citizens and promotes health and safety by providing connectivity to existing trails and developing a new city-wide trail system for walkers, joggers, and bicyclists.

The City of Camden now offers ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­several miles of paved trails and has identified future trails that will connect parks, neighborhoods and citizens for years to come. Additional information and a map of existing trail locations can be found by viewing the Camden Parks & Recreation Trails Guide.

Questions, comments, or concerns can be directed to the Street Department.