Posted: 10/16/07
County still working on repairs to infrastructure from floods
By Charlie Warner
Argus Editor
Although itís been nearly two full months since the flash floods of Aug. 18 and 19 ravaged the southeast corner of the state, Houston County Highway Department crews are still working diligently to get roads opened up. Tom Molling, of the county highway department, gave the Houston County Board an update at the Oct. 9 meeting.
According to Molling, replacing the bridge that spans Thompson Creek on CSAH 20 in Union Township is on the top of the priority list. The north portion of the one-lane bridge was swept away during the flash floods, causing persons living in the Sullivan Creek valley to drive nearly 20 miles out of their way to get to Hokah, La Crescent or La Crosse.
"You can walk over the bridge, but thatís it," Molling told the commissioners. "Many people who commute to La Crescent or La Crosse park a car on one side of the bridge, walk across and have another vehicle on the other side."
Molling said the county hopes to have the bridge built this fall and will have makeshift approaches. "Because of all the other work we have to get done, we plan to do very minimal grading this fall, and will finish it in the spring. We need to get this bridge open."
Molling added they plan to have a temporary work bridge in place for construction workers. The road will be closed until the bridge project has been completed, but persons living along CSAH 20 might be able to utilize the temporary bridge.
Two county roads in the northern part of the county are still requiring quite a bit of work. CSAH 26 through Campbell Valley has been repaired and open. However the section of #26 over Vinegar Hill at Money Creek will be closed for at least two more weeks.
Replacing guardrails and repairing approaches on CSAH 25 should be done in about a week, Molling reported. And the county is waiting to clean a number of large box culverts on CSAH 18 near Brownsville.
"It doesnít make a lot of sense to clean the culverts until the ditches, woods, and pastures are cleaned up first," Molling said. "If we clean the culverts and get a rain, theyíll get plugged up again."
Sealcoating completed
The county board approved final payment of $16,375.67 to Fahrner Asphalt Sealers, LLC of Plover, Wis. The county had sealcoating projects done on portions of CSAH #4, #10, #12, #13, #20, and #22 this year.
According Evans, the projects have all been completed. This is the final payment for the work on the six county roads.
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