Greene County received less rain than other nearby counties Sunday night, but the 3-1/2 inches or so was enough to call out the secondary roads crew on the holiday weekend. The intense rain also washed out a section of 330th St in Franklin Township. That road will be closed between P Ave and County Road P-30 until further notice.
This is the third time that portion of 330th St has washed out, county engineer Weiss reported to the board of supervisors. It is just east of St Mary Cemetery, at the bottom of two steep hills. The road was previously raised three feet as a precaution against overtopping. The metal culvert under the road there is near the end of its useful life, he said.
He has not yet determined if the culvert will be replaced or a bridge built.
According Weiss, water topped the road in about 75 locations Sunday night. Secondary roads crews went out at 11 pm to post warning signs and barricaded. They worked until 5 am Monday. Crews worked from 8 am to noon on Labor Day fixing “the worst of the worse,” Weiss said, and tackled the rest of the job on Tuesday.
Weiss said road surfaces were damaged where water covered them and that in some places, the sides and shoulders were damaged by water running through the ditches.
He told the supervisors he will in the next few weeks bring them an estimate for a gravel purchase to replenish stockpiles used last June, when water overtopped the roads in more than 200 locations, and in this rain event. He suggested funding could come from LOSST (local option sales and service tax) funds that are earmarked for rural use.
