GRAVOIS MILLS, Mo. — A roadway that collapsed during flash flooding this summer will be repaired by the end of the year.
Gravois Fire Protection District firefighters on their daily duty discovered a collapsed roadway on Channel Road, off Lake Road 135-3 (Cup Tree Road) in Gravois Mills. According to GFPD Fire Chief Ed Hancock, Camden County Road and Bridge were aware of the collapse, as they have put up signs warning motorists of the road condition.
Camden County Road and Bridge Engineer Lee Schuman said a flash flood washed out the road embankment on August 6, 2017, and the district just received an Ameren permit to fix the road on Monday, Dec. 4.
Camden County Road and Bridge will begin work on the road on Monday, Dec. 18. They expect to be finished by Friday, Dec. 22. Delays of 15 to 20 minutes should be expected.
“We hope to have two lanes open by the end of the week,” Schuman said. According to Schuman they will use large two-type rock to form a blanket and three to four ft. boulders to toe into the embankment. Filter fabric will be used to build it up, as well as some clay, but mostly rock. One lane will be rock, and one gravel. “We will have to wait until August to fix the pavement on one side,” Schuman said.
The estimated cost for the repair is just under $10,000. The county will provide the labor and materials. The damages caused by this flash flood was not declared a disaster by FEMA, due to it being an isolated event in the county.
“We had concerns because the road is so narrow and there are no safety railings,” Chief Hancock said. “There is a sign that says one lane road ahead.” The road is located in the back of a cove, and it has an eight to 10 ft. drop to the ground surface. “Drivers need to be careful they don’t drop a wheel off the edge.”
Chief Hancock also said the road is passable, but heavy trucks such as a fire tanker, should take it slow this week so the vibrations don’t knock more of the road bed loose.
