Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Road Repair topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public Works: Whitney Portal road washout repaired; crews expect work to finish in about two weeks
Summary
Public Works reported discovery of a 12-foot void under the roadbed at Whitney Portal, replacement pipe materials arrived from Tucson and crews are working 20 feet below the roadway. Staff said weather/asphalt plant availability will determine final paving timing.
Mike Grantee, Inyo County public works representative, briefed supervisors on Whitney Portal road repairs during the March 25 meeting and showed photos of a void discovered about 12 feet below the roadway.
Grantee said crews encountered a void around 12 feet beneath the roadbed and that collapse was imminent; the county moved quickly and crews repaired the pipe after 150 feet of replacement pipe arrived from Tucson, Arizona. He described the pipe sections as large (about 6 feet in diameter) and said excavators are currently working roughly 20 feet below the roadway as they install the replacement pipe.
Grantee said if emplacement of permanent asphalt can proceed depends on whether asphalt plants are open; otherwise crews will use cold mix to make the repair permanent until temperatures permit paving. He added that rising temperatures will increase water flow, which is why the issue was caught and addressed when it was.
A supervisor asked how water was handled during the operation; Grantee said crews used the existing pipe as a bypass, sandbags to channel flows, and they will remove the bypass pipe when the new pipe is fully online. Grantee estimated the project could be finished in about two weeks if materials and paving conditions remain favorable.
No formal board action was taken; supervisors thanked staff for rapid response and for bringing the matter to the board.
