Engineers present four options for Old Highway; council to review in work session

Engineers from Jones & DeMille presented conceptual designs and preliminary cost estimates for improving the Old Highway corridor through Bluff, including two road-reconstruction methods and options for attached or detached multiuse paths.

Tim Halbert and Jeff (last name) walked council members through four options. One approach would pulverize the existing pavement and stabilize the base with cement powder before repaving; another would reestablish the structural base with new road base and widen with fill before paving. Plans also included options to add a 10-foot multiuse path attached to the roadway or a detached asphalt trail. "We would pulverize the existing road with the road base underneath it and mix in cement powder, reshape it, and then pave on top of it," Halbert said, describing one of the stabilization methods.

Engineers said an option that included a separated multiuse trail was the most expensive preliminary estimate the firm provided (the consultants described a plan in the meeting packet on the order of $1.2 million for one configuration). The council asked the consultants to check right-of-way widths, drainage and a low spot near DesignBuild Bluff that may require a culvert or a short bridge if the path is routed on that side of the road.

Council members and the consultants agreed the package of drawings and specifications needed refinement. The council agreed to place the project on the April 8 work session agenda and asked the consultants to send the engineers' drawings and cost materials to the town manager for distribution to council prior to the work session. The council did not take a vote on the project at the March 18 meeting.