HCHC approved to adopt county highway

By BRYCE KELLY

Mt. Pleasant News

A Henry County roadway will soon be getting a lot of tender, loving care as highway adoption papers were approved during a Henry County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday.

As part of the Adopt-A-Highway program, county supervisors, with the assistance of county engineer, Jake Hotchkiss, approved Henry County Health Center?s adoption request for Oakland Mills Road, in Mt. Pleasant.

?This is a really great thing for the county,? said Hotchkiss. ?This road, at one time, was adopted by a different group in the county, but recently, that group stopped all its activities and has left the road alone.?

As part of the agreement, HCHC will be charged with keeping the Oakland Mills Road clear of trash and other miscellaneous debris. There will also be signage erected on that stretch of road to signify the health center?s official adoption.

In regard to road construction, Hotchkiss also reported that there has been steady progress made on several fronts. First, the W55/Franklin Avenue project is moving right along, with the road still closed to thru traffic as the contractor finishes pipe work and intakes this week.

Looking ahead, the project is scheduled to start pavement removal by the end of the week.

As for the Marsh Avenue bridge project, guardrails are now complete and the contract has now placed rock on the road.

?The rain we had over the weekend has delayed the seeding crew for the Marsh Avenue project, but hopefully we will be getting that completed soon and open to traffic,? said Hotchkiss. ?All together, I think both the Marsh Avenue project and the W55 project are coming along nicely.?

Finally, it looks like the 320th Street River Bank Stabilization project might have to have an extension applied to its original projected completion date. With the wet summer the county has seen thus far, river levels have not been optimal for the project to proceed at an adequate pace.

At this time, Hotchkiss is unable to estimate when the project will be completed.

To end the meeting, Henry County Conservation director, John Pullis, gave the board a brief review of Monday night?s Henry County Conservation Board meeting.

The next Henry County Supervisors meeting will be held on Thursday, Aug. 13, at 9 a.m., inside the Henry County Courthouse.