As you may imagine with the rain we have been blessed to receive the last few weeks we have been very busy with high water runoff and erosion issues. We will continuing to prioritize and address these new issues as we become aware of them and are working the most dangerous first.
To begin, we have one very serious issue with Seward road just East of Broadway where the old 1932 WPA box culvert was blocked by debris during a high water episode and the water cut a channel between the culvert and road bed which has compromised the asphalt bed with a visible sinkhole. In the same area, the Cottonwood has eroded the west side of the Seward road bridge, while there is no need to close this bridge at this time, it will need to be added to our County CIRB program.
On Hogan Drive at Cimarron National approximately ½ mile north of State HWY 33 there is a large culvert that connects two water collection ponds. This culvert has rusted down the center line so now water enters the culvert but does not come out the other end because it is washing through and around the drain pipe. The serious issue is associated with the upstream side where the water is now starting to seep under and around the culvert opening resulting in a serious issue that can compromise an earthen levee dam such as this one. This week we had a contractor out to look at it and we need the east reservoir depleted to patch it. We are watching it and if it gets worse with the rain the Golf Course will help by pumping down the level to relieve the stress on the earth dam.
The right of way utility relocation has been slowed due to the weather but continues on Coltrane between Waterloo and Seward and is contracted to be finished no later than August 6, 2015. Rural Water District 1 is currently relocating utilities in support of expanded right of way preparation. This construction activity and recent rains has caused this roadway to look much like the surface of the moon resulting in several work orders to patch the resulting holes in the road.
Our contracted land surveyor has begun re-staking the right of way for Simpson Lane project next week. Simpson Lane project will resurface Simpson Lane from Broadway to Coltrane (Simpson Lane, Ward Road, Simpson Road). The project plan is scheduled to finish the same time as the Coltrane project South to Waterloo sometime mid-year 2017.
The asphalt overlay project on Charter Oak from Broadway to Kelly is still scheduled to being around the first of July. We anticipate finishing the overlay of that mile first part of August.
We have attended several meetings with state transportation officials this last week. One in particular with the Logan County Board of Commissioners and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) concerning the County Improvements for Roads and Bridges (CIRB). Our board of commissioners agreed to re-look at our 5 year plan and ensure the project estimates reflect today’s construction costs of all associated phases. Our board of commissioners is committed to working with ODOT to ensure our 5 year plan reflects a more accurate cost and budget model.
That’s it for now and thanks to all for the feedback and stay safe out there on our roads and bridges.
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