Woodfall Road culvert repair set to start in early August

Ed Smith Construction will be completing emergency repairs on a culvert on Woodfall Road after the Polk County Board of Commissioners approved spending of $47,954.69 on the project.

First brought before the board’s attention in the late June public works committee meeting, County manager Matt Denton said the work was needed in order to stave off major repairs to the roadway if not completed soon.

He described and showed pictures of the culvert to commissioners Jennifer Hulsey and Ray Barber, who immediately approved the spending in committee to go before the full board.

Denton said the constant flow of water through the culvert on Woodfall Road caused much of the damage to the cracked concrete protecting the soil from washing away behind the culvert walls. Already, a wing wall – those sides of a culvert that jut out into a stream or creek – has broken off from the rest.

Though not in any immediate danger of full collapse, Denton said, the repairs were at an emergency level because the erosion happening behind the concrete walls threatened to wash away sides of the roadway.

He told commissioners getting the job done now would save money in the future for the 10 foot wide by 12 foot deep culvert.

“They’re going to go back in and pour in new bottoms, reform the wing walls and fill in the dirt back behind that was already lost,” Denton said.

Ed Smith Construction was called upon to provide a bid for the job, since they have previously worked with the county on culvert replacement work in the past.

“They have a good track record, and we know we can count on them to do a good job,” Denton said.

Barber, chair of the Public Works committee, said he felt the repairs were an emergency not just because of potential damage to the roadway, but also because potential flooding during heavy rains could cause problems for utilities and residents in area around the culvert.

Money for the repairs was made available through the 2014 Special Purpose, Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) fund for the county.

Work is expected to start on the repairs in early August.