Town Wants Road Fixed by End of November

By Amanda Wilson

Staff Writer

Local officials are hoping road construction will be completed by the end of this month, easing headaches for some Piney Mountain Road residents.

The road was washed out on July 24 when a record amount of rainfall fell on the area. Since then, efforts have been made by the Chapel Hill town engineers to improve access on the road for residents.

George Small, Chapel Hill town engineering director who is in charge of the reconstruction, said officials decided not to replace the corroded metal pipe that was washed out in the storm.

"We decided to replace (the road) with a precast concrete arch similar to a bridge," he said.

Small said the prefabricated concrete arch, which is built in a plant, will be transported to the site and set on footings laid in the field.

The concrete arches have been in use for decades, Small said, and another one is now being used on Brookview Road in Chapel Hill.

"The precasting for the arch was done concurrently with engineering work done by the city such as surveying and site exploration," Small said.

He also said that under normal circumstances, these jobs are done by subcontractors.

The Chapel Hill Town Council declared the road damage an emergency, Small said, which will allow the town to complete repairs in about one fourth of the time.

The council approved a budget of $200,000 for the project. The town will spend about $55,000 on parts and $130,000 on installation.

"We expect to be finished by the end of November," Small said.

But Illey Johnson, a resident of 563 Piney Mountain Road, said he doubts he will be able to abandon his three-mile detour any time soon.

"It won't be ready," Johnson said. "I used to work for the city, I know."

Johnson worked in the Recycling Department for Chapel Hill.

But the town has instituted a resource to help residents like Johnson follow the progress of bridge construction.

That resource can be found on the town's Web site, which features a photograph of the bridge progress updated daily. The brainchild of council member and Piney Mountain Road resident Edith Wiggins, the picture is supposed to help ease concern among residents.

"I really like it," Wiggins said of the pictures. "But I think I'll feel more enthusiastic when I see the bridge come up out of the ground."

Wiggins, who has been involved in the allocation of funds for the project, said she will be very happy if the project is completed by the end of the month.

Town engineers are working to complete the repairs in a thorough and expedient manner, Small said. He said the structure of the bridge will allow it to adapt to heavy rainfall, hopefully eliminating future problems on Piney Mountain Road.

"This bridge should be there indefinitely."

The City Editor can be reached

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