Reinforcements are on the way.
The Jefferson County Public Works Department usually resurfaces 65 to 75 miles of county roads every summer, but as with most things in the middle of the novel coronavirus pandemic, this year has been different.
“We were figuring on doing 65 miles of asphalt this summer,” said Public Works Director Jason Jonas. “However, with the heavy rains during the spring, and with COVID-19 cutting into staffing by 50 percent for a few weeks (as workers were divided into shifts), we’re behind. We won’t be able to lay all 65 miles on our own.”
Enter Missouri Petroleum Products Co. LLC of St. Louis County, which will handle nearly half of the schedule, with the county doing the other 34 miles in-house. Missouri Petroleum Products submitted the lower of two bids for the work at $840,236.
The Jefferson County Council voted unanimously on May 26 to approve the contract.
“They (Missouri Petroleum) will step in and do chip-and-seal asphalt work on 31 miles, including restriping all striped routes,” Jonas said. He noted the estimated cost of the work was to top $1 million.
“We got a really good bid,” he said. “Our crews can do the work for $25,000 to $30,000 per mile. This came in at a little more than $27,000 a mile. It’s definitely on par with what we can do it for.”
Crews from Missouri Petroleum Products will be out between Aug. 11 and Sept. 11 on the following roads:
■ Allen Road between Rice Road and Sandy Church Road north of Hillsboro.
■ Amy Clark Road between Pioneer Road and Buckeye Road east of Hillsboro.
■ Burgess, Third Street and Sulphur Springs Landing Road in Sulphur Springs.
■ Dulin Creek Road between Hwy. MM and Local Hillsboro Road in House Springs.
■ Engle Creek Road between Sunrise and Metropolitan Boulevard in Barnhart.
■ Portions of Girl Scout Road north of Pevely.
■ Hensley Road between Rice Road and Allen Road north of Hillsboro.
■ Indian Springs Road between Hwy. 30 and Gravois Road and Main Street in House Springs.
■ John Swaller Road south of West Rock Creek Road in Imperial.
■ Koch Valley Road between Hwy. 61-67 and Bushberg Road north of Pevely.
■ Konert Road between Romaine Creek Road and Old Hwy. 21 in Imperial.
■ Lynch Road between Hwy. F and Byrnesville Road in the Pacific and High Ridge areas.
■ Marble Springs Road between Metropolitan Boulevard and Rice Road in Barnhart and east of Hillsboro.
■ Montebello Road between Hwy. 61-67 and Vine Street in Imperial.
■ Rice Road between Old Lemay Ferry Road and Johnston Road east of Hillsboro.
■ Second Street north of Sulphur Springs Road in Sulphur Springs.
■ Stahl Road between Metropolitan Boulevard and Palmer Road in Barnhart.
■ West Swaller Road between West Rock Creek Road and Blecha Road in Imperial.
At the same time, the county’s crews will resurface roads mainly in rural areas south of Festus and De Soto, Jonas said.
In the Festus area, all or parts of Benson, Dooling Hollow, Doss Hollow, Dry Fork and Frazier roads will be resurfaced.
In the De Soto area, parts or all of these roads will receive attention: Britton, College Heights, Hencher South, Klondike South, Lembeck Lake, McMillen, Mothershead, Mothershead School, Oakvale, Pagel, Perkins, Selma, Springdale and Yellow Rock roads.
Traffic will be restricted to a single lane while crews are resurfacing the other lane.