Greene County engineer Wade Weiss told the county board of supervisors that he plans to install a cable guard on Y Ave at 337th St, the access road to the Dallas County landfill, after an accident there last Friday.
According to the Greene County sheriff’s report, a semi-tractor pulling a side dump trailer hauling asbestos to the landfill was parked along the gravel roadway waiting for another truck to exit the landfill. The driver said the trailer began to slide into the ditch, causing the semi-tractor to also roll on its side. Hazardous Waste Management Inc of Grimes was called in to assist with cleaning up the asbestos.
The county has previously been involved in a lawsuit following an accident at that location. At that time, the county was advised not to place a guard cable as that might be perceived as an admission of guilt. “We can’t have this going on. They’re going to sue regardless,” Weiss said.
The driver in the June 5 accident was not cited for any moving violations, but Sheriff Steve Haupert said there were several safety issues including tires on the trailer. Because the trailer load dumped, it is not known if it was over weight.
Supervisor Mick Burkett asked about the topography and drainage in the area. Weiss agreed that there is water in the area, “but that’s never been a problem for the stability… These are not issues as a result of the road bed. The issue is that we have the traveled portion of the road, and they go off the traveled portion and over the edge. We’ve got to make that more stable,” Weiss said.
A cable would keep truckers away from the edge of the road, Weiss added.
Y Ave is the county line road; the east side of the road is Boone County. The primary access to the Dallas County landfill is a Greene County road.
