Road repaired near New Bloomfield

A road crew makes rapid progress Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016 on repairing a stretch of County Road 436 between New Bloomfield and Dixie. (Helen Wilbers photo)
A road crew makes rapid progress Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016 on repairing a stretch of County Road 436 between New Bloomfield and Dixie. (Helen Wilbers photo)

NEW BLOOMFIELD, Mo. - An unusually wet summer has taken a toll on area roads.

A recent road improvement project arranged by the Callaway County Commission, in cooperation with the Road and Bridge Department, is making progress on repairs.

Work began Wednesday on a half-mile stretch of County Road 436 between New Bloomfield and Dixie. The gravel road had suffered serious weather damage along a hill, becoming rutted and difficult for cars to navigate.

The road narrows to a single lane to climb a hill with a steep gradient. A curve at the top of the slope makes it difficult to see oncoming traffic, and pulling off the road to let another car pass is difficult.

To address both the damage and the other problems with the stretch of road, crews are significantly widening the road on the hill, putting down fresh gravel and installing new culverts to divert rainwater from flowing straight down the slope, which would erode their work.

"Our county roads are getting constantly busier," Eastern District Commissioner Randall Kleindienst said. "One car is all that can get through. It's a steep hill, and you need room to meet oncoming traffic."

While the county commissioners' office was unable to give an estimated budget, Kleindienst said it was a low-expense project due to the materials used.

Weather permitting, construction should be completed by the end of today. Workers and heavy equipment may be out along that stretch of road throughout the day.