WAPPAPELLO, Mo. -- A flood-damaged section of Highway T at Wappapello Lake should be repaired by July 1, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation, which will let bids for the project June 2.
An emergency bid letting is being held, David Wyman, area engineer for the southeast district, said this morning. The bids are expected to be opened June 9.
How best to address repairs was the topic of a public meeting Tuesday at the Wappapello VFW, with about 80 concerned citizens in attendance.
Water has topped the lake's overflow spillway twice in the last six years, tearing away a large section of Highway T. The state highway serves as the main road that connects sections of the Wappapello community located on opposite sides of the dam.
A detour of approximately two miles takes residents down a narrow county road that has extensive washboarding for much of the route. The 10 to 15-minute drive can slow to speeds of less than 5 mph for small vehicles.
Residents say the detour is not only an inconvenience, but also a safety concern.
"Our goal is to make sure we are never as a community put in this position again," meeting organizer Eldon Wright told those gathered for the second meeting on this subject. About 30 people attended last week, he said.
Residents need to "burn up the phone lines" to county, state and federal elected officials and demand a bridge, Wright said.
MoDOT expects to spend $1.3 million or less to replace the damaged section with a road of the same design. A bridge would cost upwards of $40 million because of the restrictions caused by the location in the overflow spillway, officials say.
No permanent obstructions can be placed in the overflow spillway that could hamper the operation of the dam, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
While MoDOT is responsible for repairs to the road, they are working within an area that falls under the control of the Corps.
Water has to be able to pass through the secondary spillway and bridge spans cannot block this channel, the Corps has said.
MoDOT estimated in 2011 that a bridge would cost $2.1 million.
This estimate was made before information was received from the Corps regarding restrictions, Wyman said. That bridge would have had six to seven spans, with piers placed in the overflow channel.
The recent $40 million price tag relates to a structure similar to the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge at Cape Girardeau, Mo., Wyman said.
"It's a completely different type of bridge structure ... and the price goes up astronomically because of that," he said. "It all has to do with the design parameters. It's just not a normal situation."
The current detour follows County Road 514 in Butler County, which becomes County Road 517 as it crosses into Wayne County. The route uses the 1911 Iron Bridge.
Both Butler and Wayne county highway departments are spending a significant amount of money and time trying to keep the county roads maintained, Wyman said.
Residents at the meeting agreed the first priority should be repairs to reopen Highway T as quickly as possible, but many believe a bridge is also necessary.
Most agreed there will be no quick or easy solution.
"It's going to take a long time to get it done," said Russell Bryant, 81, who has lived in Wappapello for 26 years. "If they do a bridge, it's going to take longer than anything."
Everyone would rather see a solution that wouldn't be down like Highway T is now, said resident Ranney McDonough, but he ultimately believes it has to be left up to the engineers.
McDonough and his wife, Lenda, hold regular Saturday night dances at the nearly century-old Wappapello Civic Center. The events help preserve the former school building, but attendance has dropped sharply because of the detour, they say.
"There needs to be something changed to hopefully prevent this from happening again," said Lenda McDonough.
Owners of Sundowner Marina lost a potential buyer and an opportunity to retire because of recent events, Wright said.
The situation is costing residents and businesses, he said.
He has less patience for what he says is a lack of concern, or even corruption, of government officials.
"We're not going to get answers from people, MoDOT or the Corps, unless the phones ring off the wall at the politicians' offices and on their cell numbers," Wright said. "Call them until they get so sick of the phone ringing that they'll say 'OK, let's do something.'"
Highway T has been flooded below the overflow spillway three times in the lake's history, in 1945, 2011 and early this month.