WORK TO RESUME NEXT WEEK ON HIGHWAY 77 SLIDE PROBLEM

CHAFFEE -- Work on the Highway 77 Cotton Belt Railroad overpass north of here will resume sometime next week, a state official said Monday.

The project to stop soil subsidence on the four slopes of the overpass was halted July 3 after the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department discovered a compound, Code L, being mixed in with the soil to stabilize it might be a health hazard.

After conferring with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the manufacturer of Code L, Mississippi Lime Co. of Ste. Genevieve, District Ten Engineer Bob Sfreddo said Monday he has been assured there is no threat to humans if safety precautions are taken when the substance is mixed in soil.

Code L, like other lime-based products, is corrosive to skin and eyes when wet and can cause lung irritation and inflammation if amounts of the lime dust are inhaled.

Sfreddo was at the job site Monday to discuss his findings with the contractor and Terry Lynn. Lynn lives near the overpass and has provided space to the department for mixing the Code L in the soil before it is replaced on the overpass slopes.

Sfreddo said instead of mixing the Code L with the soil at the overpass, the compound will be mixed in with the dirt in a storage area in a farm field east of the Lynn residence. The mixture will then be hauled back to the overpass and re-applied to the slope.

"We'll also be adding extra water to the Code L when it is applied to soil to reduce the amount of (lime) dust that might be blown about by the wind," he added.

According to the manufacturer, Code L is a by-product of the manufacture of hydrated lime, which is used extensively in agriculture, industry, and in municipal water plants.

The manufacturer said Code L typically contains up to 28-38 percent calcium oxide (quicklime), 31-38 percent calcium carbonate, 5-8 percent hydrated lime, about 10 percent inert materials, and between 0.1 and 0.5 percent crystalline silica (sand), most of it in the form of quartz.

Neither crystalline silica or Code L have been identified as an actual or potential carcinogen by OSHA, or two other generally consulted authorities, the company said.