HC Engineer preparing for FY20 projects

The Henry County Engineer is preparing for fiscal year 2020 construction projects, with supervisors approving plans for patching on J20 from Salem to the Salem stub, during a Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, May 21.

Patching J20 is part of the Henry County Engineer's five year construction plan. Jake Hotchkiss, Henry County engineer, said that letting on the project is scheduled for Aug. 20, but they are working with the Department of Transportation to get approval for the project now.

'We're doing this extensive patching to buy us some time,” Hotchkiss said. 'We have some joint deterioration that we will continue monitoring, but it would take care of a lot of the problems out there right now.”

Hotchkiss said that the project could be done as early as this fall or the contractor may wait until spring 2020.

Patching would be done in one lane at a time, covering 2.5 miles on J20 from Salem east to Highway 218.

Hotchkiss also said that W55 Franklin Avenue Bridge may be closed the week of June 3, for construction.

'That's tentative because we're still waiting on paperwork,” Hotchkiss said.

The bridge will be removed and reconstructed, which could take 120 work days.

In other news, Henry-Jefferson County Line Road was closed because of flooding Tuesday morning, Hotchkiss said that water backs up on to it and it started going over on Tuesday, May 21.

'We're going to keep an eye on it,” Hotchkiss said. 'It's going to be pretty close whether Oakland Mills affects us or not. It depends on how fast it goes down and how much more rain we get.”

Last week, territory operators installed crossroad pipe on Henry-Louisa County Line Road, and a second crossroad pipe at the intersection of Racine and Henry-Louisa. They installed more crossroad pipe on 285th Street, repaired damaged guardrail, and hauled resurfacing rock to 310th Street. They worked on signs, continued mowing shoulders and hauled spot rock.