Washington, Missouri ' Committee members discussed a closed roadway near a slope failure and weighed whether to repair the slide by excavating deeper to find rock or to build a new bypass road around the area.
Why it matters: The choice could affect future maintenance costs, traffic flows on nearby Highway 100, and the durability of any new bridge or roadwork at the site.
Committee members described visiting the site and noted the road is closed, limiting close inspection. One unidentified committee member said constructing a new half-mile detour could shift traffic into the same trouble area and argued an engineering approach that digs down to find stable rock and rebuilds the structure would likely be cheaper and more durable: "Pretty sure if you'd look at the cost, it's gonna be cheaper to take that road all the way down to the problem, solve the slide issue 20, 30 feet below, and bring it all back up than it is to build another half mile road somewhere else." Another member urged obtaining an engineering opinion to "do it right this time" and suggested pursuing methods that mitigate future sliding risk.
Discussion items included ownership questions for any reroute and concerns that closing the current road would increase traffic pressure on Highway 100. No formal engineering contract or funding decision was made at the meeting; members agreed to seek engineering advice before committing to major construction.
Next steps: committee members directed staff to check ownership details and to obtain an engineering evaluation to determine the most cost-effective, durable fix for the slide area.