Engineer says wet weather hampers progress on county road projects

By BRYCE KELLY

Mt. Pleasant News

Things have been slow due to weather.

That was Henry County Engineer Jake Hotchkiss? main point during his weekly report at a Henry County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday.

Hotchkiss admitted during the meeting that things were not going as quickly as planned largely because of the rain and thunderstorms that have occurred most of last week.

?It?s not that we have had enormous amounts of rain, but it has been enough that you can?t get going,? he said. ?We would like to have more than two days at a time to work.?

In spite of the weather, progress on some projects has been made. The ditches of the low water crossing on 230th Street were laid with rip-rap last week in between wet weather. Crews plan to pour slabs there before the next rain.

?The weather is slowing us down,? said Hotchkiss. ?However, we are going to try to pour slabs tomorrow in order to avoid the rain that is supposed to be coming Wednesday night. We just have to fight the water.?

According to Hotchkiss, the first third of a mile on the west end of 150th street is now completed and laid with rock to allow access to three homes. Ditches are still drying out, but Hotchkiss is pleased with the progress.

?Overall, I think everything turned out well. We got to test our ditches out and they performed, for the site conditions that we have, very well. I am very happy.?

During the meeting, Hotchkiss also praised the attitudes of the landowners around the west end of 150th street. ?Landowners have been really great to work with,? he said. ?They were understanding of the weather conditions and I appreciate their efforts.?

Looking ahead, plans are in motion to start construction repairs on 150th Street, East of Highway 218.  Hotchkiss plans to meet with the contractor involved with the project next Monday to start discussions on the project. Further details are promised in the future.

The Henry County Engineer?s office also has its sights set on Iowa Avenue. The office has indicated that there are some rough pavement patches just south of town that are in need of repair. Although preliminary plans are only just being drawn up, Hotchkiss and his team have indicated that they would like to close Iowa Avenue while construction is taking place.

?I would like to do some stabilization on some rough areas,? explained Hotchkiss. ?I am anticipating about a week for closure, but I will notify everybody in advance.?

Hotchkiss went on to explain that a contractor had not been selected for the project on Iowa Avenue.

After hearing the weekly report, the board moved to approve the weekly update.

No other business was discussed during the meeting.

The next Henry County Board of Supervisors meeting will be Thursday, Sept. 4, at 9 a.m. inside the Henry County Courthouse.