Almota Road damaged by construction

Garth Meyer, Gazette Editor | Jun 25, 20200

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Two scrapers stuck in mud on Almota Road June 17. The heavy equipment damaged the road after hitting wet dirt underground. Estimated cost to repair is $50,000-$300,000. Two scrapers stuck in mud on Almota Road June 17. The heavy equipment damaged the road after hitting wet dirt underground. Estimated cost to repair is $50,000-$300,000.

COLFAX – Friendly damage ensued on Almota Road last week.

"Did you get the scrapers unstuck?" asked County Commissioner Art Swannack Monday morning during a work session.

"Yes and no," said Mark Storey, Public Works director. "Scrapers blew out a portion of the road that had not been blown out."

On June 17, 45-foot long scraper vehicles from contractor M.A. DeAtley were cutting soil from one part of the road-widening project south of Colfax and hauling it to another part. In the process, the heavy equipment damaged the road (stripped to gravel) over an estimated 700 to 1,000 feet.

"It created a couple feet of damaged soil, and now we need to replace that soil," Storey said.

Two scrapers got stuck last Thursday and more after that. Each were pulled out with bulldozers.

The common road-construction problem comes from wet dirt underground.

"It has to do with how much water is in those flats," Storey said.

The road, which had been re-opened to all traffic as construction continued in sections, has been closed again to anything less than a 4X4.

Estimated repair costs – still part of the Almota project's overall budget – are $50,000 to $300,000.

"This one is probably on the higher end," Storey said.

M.A. DeAtley now continues to dig out the damaged soil, later to lay down fabric, then shot-rock gravel over the top as road building continues.

The year-round underground water (ice in winter) can be detected using probes before work starts but the county elects not to spend the extra money.

"We're gonna have to deal with it whether we know about it in advance or not," Storey said.

He explained that, although embarrassing, it was an expected part of road projects.

"The largest and biggest and worst traffic on the road is the stuff that makes the road," he said. "That's the heaviest load they'll ever see."

Because of the damage, in a year in which the county is down $1.2 million in funds from state gas tax (due to less driving during the virus shutdowns), other summer road work could be affected.

Namely, the asphalt overlay projects set for August on three roads in Steptoe and another Rosalia may be put off to next year.

"We'd like to at least do Steptoe," Storey said.

Rural counties are most affected by a drop in gas tax as road departments are more dependent on the shared funding, as opposed to counties with higher property tax rolls.

Almota Road is expected to re-open again for all traffic by the Fourth of July, as construction continues.