The Poplar Bluff Street Department cut Shelby Road from four lanes to one this week to fill a compacted dip over a culvert.
“We found a good soft spot,” street department Superintendent Jerry Lawson noted.
Crews inspected the box culvert but found no signs of damage. Afterward, they broke up the road’s surface and dug out the mud and clay underneath, then backfilled it with compacted rock. The repair was covered with concrete, which is now curing. The plan is to reopen all lanes next Friday, on Aug. 12.
“People don’t realize it but the road, I think is 10 years old. It’s got some issues here and there, but this was one that we really need to take care of,” Lawson said. “And we want to get it done before school started, and wanted to wait till it got good and dry. So that’s why we picked this time.”
There have been few traffic incidents. A couple of RVs knocked over the lines of cones, and one workman was clipped in the arm by a side mirror but escaped with only a bruise. These have been the exceptions to commuters’ general caution around the work zone.
“Overall, everybody has been very patient with us,” Lawson stated, adding he understands what a serious inconvenience the work is to drivers and his crews appreciate those who take it slow.
The street department will try to knock out other projects, such as overlaying Zehm Avenue, while Shelby Road’s fresh concrete cures.