Road work estimate shortens
Published 8:00 pm Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Updated to correct generator maintenance bid amount.
No decision has been made regarding the repairs needed on George Wallace Drive, but Troy City Council members received some good news about the timeline on Tuesday.
The road closure could last less than two weeks, a significantly shorter timeframe than previously estimated.
During a work session before Tuesday’s city council meeting, Troy Mayor Jason Reeves updated the council on the project.
“My understanding now is they can get it done in two weeks. When we did the sewer line, it was almost seven weeks,” Reeves said.
During a council meeting last month, consulting engineer Buck Watkins documented sinkholes above a degrading metal culvert pipe between Second Avenue and Easy Streets Apartments. He said there was no way of knowing the extent of the damage to George Wallace Drive until the asphalt is removed and the pipe replaced.
Council members asked Watkins to look into the costs of partially closing the road rather than completely closing the road for 30 to 45 days.
Since February’s meeting, Councilman Greg Meeks said he’d been contacted by the state regarding equipment that could detect any sinkholes under the road’s surface.
“There is a device, a ground-penetrating radar, in Montgomery and in Enterprise,” he said.
The council discussed the timeframe for the proposed roadwork and the legal matters of advertising the project and accepting bids. The plan is to do the work once public school is out on summer break.
During the meeting, the council also:
• Accepted a $2,075 bid for the maintenance of two emergency generators, one located at City Hall and the other at the Sportsplex;
• Accepted the sole bids from Ken Cox Ford for five trucks for the utility department: three at $47,355 each, one at $46,920 and one at $18,205;
• Accepted an $82,800 bid for a Backhoe from Flint Equipment Company;
• Accepted a standard agreement with the Department of Transportation for the upgrades and maintenance of traffic controls at the intersection of Murphree Street and U.S. Highway 231; and
• Appointed Reeves as the voting delegate at the May 5 meeting of the Alabama League of Municipalities in Mobile. Council Member Dejerilyn Henderson will be first alternate and Meeks second alternate.