FLOODING HEAVILY DAMAGES COUNTY ROADS

JACKSON -- Preliminary estimates indicate last weekend's flash flooding and heavy rains caused at least $40,000 worth of damage to county roads and bridges in Cape Girardeau County.

County Engineer Scott Bechtold said most of the damage occurred in the western and northern areas of the county, in the vicinity of Whitewater River, Byrd's Creek and Apple Creek.

At least two county bridges received major damage.

In west Cape Girardeau County, a 60-foot bridge on County Road 481, north of Millersville, was closed after the floodwaters ripped off the wooden floor of the bridge deck. The bridge is scheduled to be replaced next spring.

In the eastern part of the county, a 35-foot bridge located on County Road 535, north of Neely's Landing, is now limited to one-way traffic and a reduced weigh until it can be repaired or replaced.

"Unless there is structural damage, we plan to go ahead and replace the wooden bridge deck on County Road 481 so it can be used this winter," said Bechtold.

"The County Road 535 bridge has damage to the middle pier that has caused a slight buckling of the concrete deck in the middle of the bridge. The damage is apparently moderate, but we have been able to reopen the bridge by putting up barricades to move traffic over to the undamaged side of the bridge."

Bechtold said the weight limit on the bridge was reduced from unlimited to nine tons as a result of the flood damage. He said school buses from the Jackson School District can still use the bridge.

"We're going to take another look at the (Road 535) bridge after the water goes down," he continued. "If it's not too expensive to repair, we'll start work within the next two weeks. It will be up to the commissioners to make a decision on replacing the bridge if the cost of repairs is too high."

Several county roads still remain closed because they have water over them in spots, Bechtold reported. In addition, County Road 481 is closed because of damage.

As of Thursday morning, roads that remain closed due to water include: County Road 236, near Whitewater, and County Road 265, east of Randles.

County Road 350, west of Millersville, is open, but one lane has been closed due to a washout. Warning signs have been put up. Repairs to the road are not expected to begin until next week.

Bechtold said other roads that were washed out or damaged have been, or are now being, repaired and should be reopened before the end of the week, weather permitting.

"We had a lot of gravel roads that were damaged when the water washed the gravel surface into the ditch. We'll go back in and apply a new layer of gravel where the washouts occurred, and clean out the culverts," Bechtold said.