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Road crews report broken concrete panels after drivers ignore barricades; supervisors warn of added costs
Summary
Gage County road and bridge staff told supervisors that multiple concrete panels were broken after drivers moved barricades and drove on freshly poured sections; crews will need to tear out and repour panels, extending the project timeline and adding cost.
Gage County road and bridge staff reported Sept. 3 that several freshly poured concrete panels on a project have cracked or broken after drivers removed or drove around barricades, and the county warned the public that the repairs will delay reopening and raise costs.
Mark (last name not provided), representing Road and Bridge operations, said workers found three broken panels in one poured section after drivers ignored road-closed signs. "We'd like to encourage the public to stop moving those road closed signs. They are there for a reason till we hit strength," the road superintendent said.
Supervisors and staff said the contractor's extended schedule has left barricades in place for an extended period, increasing public impatience and the frequency that barriers are moved. Road staff said they have been replacing barricades daily and have captured some vehicle plates on cameras; some plates were from out of county. The county said re-pouring a damaged section would take about a half day to tear out and pour, followed by additional curing time that could extend strength gain from seven days to two or three weeks depending on the concrete mix.
Road staff noted potential causes for the failures: deliberate driving over closed panels, slower-setting blended cements, and possibly a lighter mix in some loads. They also said drivers crossing closed sections pose a safety risk to crews and could make the contractor liable for additional removal and replacement costs.
The road and bridge committee also updated supervisors on other projects: the ramp-door installation scheduled for Oct. 20, several culvert replacements and bridge-match grant applications to the state, and traffic-count equipment out on Sergeant Road as part of a paving-district consideration.
No formal board action was recorded on the concrete panels; supervisors asked staff to continue daily barricade maintenance, pursue camera evidence, and to coordinate repair and scheduling with the contractor.
