Road near Louisa County line to close for construction

AINSWORTH — Washington County plans to begin replacing a corrugated, multi-plate culvert on 190th Street about 400 feet west of Louisa Washington Road on Monday, Nov. 13 according to a news release from the Washington County Engineer’s Office which said construction would close the road near Goose Creek and Salem Church, north of Haskins for the duration.

The closure is expected to last one to two weeks, but the exact timeline depends on weather conditions, according to the announcement.

“We are trying to take advantage of the dryness and decent fall weather to complete this work yet this year,” County Engineer Jacob Thorius said in a statement. “While we know there is an inconvenience to local traffic with the timing of the road closure, the replacement of this structure now will help ensure we are better able to complete the structure as quick as we can and not have a longer closure when conditions are wetter.”

The work will be done by county personnel and will remove the current water-channeling structure, which the news release described as “rusted out and failing,” decades after its installation in 1952. The county said the slightly relocated culvert would “better align with the existing waterway” and "provide a wider road top for the traveling public to safely move through the area,“ and have an expected life span of 60-70 years.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com