The portion of Pittsboro Elementary School Road closed since it was ravaged by Hurricane Florence’s floodwaters is closer to re-opening
The roadway was topped with water and then buckled. Asphalt cracked and washed away and the roadway became impassable following the storm.
A portion of the road still remains closed, but the Town of Pittsboro is moving closer to reopening the street.
The Pittsboro Board of Commissioners approved an ordinance earlier this fall establishing a project budget of $5,900 for the survey and permitting of the damage. The funds were transferred from the town’s general fund.
The initial funding was spent on an inspection and hydraulic analysis by Raleigh-based engineering firm Wetherill. The analysis was set determine whether the culvert was repairable, and if so, whether the size of the culvert should be increased to allow more water flow.
The current 78-inch corrugated metal pipe culvert was determined to be in good condition. The hydraulic analysis did show, however, that the pipe was undersized because of recent overtopping and flooding issues from Robeson Creek. Overtopping is defined as the rising of water over the top of a barrier.
Wetherill recommended the town consider replacing the pipe prior to repairing the roadway as a preventative measure against future overtopping. Wetherill estimated the existing structure would cause overtopping in less than an estimated two-year frequency.
Following the analysis, the town staff posed two repair options for commissioners to consider during its meeting last week.
The first was to repair the existing culvert/road structure. That less expensive option would open the road sooner because the culvert would not have be replaced and the portion of the affected roadway would not have to be completely rebuilt.
The second option would be to install a larger culvert that could handle more potential storm water flow. But its construction would take several months longer to complete.
“We anticipate that additional money will be recouped from Federal Emergency Management Agency,” Elizabeth Goodson, the town engineer, told commisisoners last week. “But the biggest concern would be the time that it would take to complete this.”
Goodson estimated the time required to complete the repair at up to six months.
“We will do everything in our power to make this a priority and get it done quicker if possible,” she said.
The board unanimously selected the second option, and town staff is preparing bid the project Town Manager Bryan Gruesbeck said.
The closure of the roadway has affected cut-through traffic from Pittsboro Elementary and Horton Elementary schools. Residents who live on Pittsboro Elementary School Road have also been detoured around to West Street in order to get to Sanford Street. Yet the extended period of construction will not affect school bus travel, according to Chatham County School Transportation Director Joel Caviness.
“We have not had to reroute any buses because of the closure of the road,” he said. “It hasn’t caused any delays, or anything like that for bus routes.”
