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Engineer outlines two repair options for failing section of Lighthouse Drive, estimates range $111,000'$175,000
Summary
Kimley Horn engineer Tom Jensen told the Jupiter Inlet Colony commission that borings found organics beneath the pavement on Lighthouse Drive; short-term repave is estimated at about $111,000 (plus contingency), while full-depth repair with geogrid is about $164,000 (about $175,000 with contingency). The commission asked for more monitoring data before budgeting.
An engineer who led recent borings on Lighthouse Drive told the Jupiter Inlet Colony commission on March 10 that settlement and organic "muck" beneath the roadway are causing pavement depression and ponding, and he outlined two repair options with sharply different price and disruption profiles.
Tom Jensen, a Kimley Horn engineer who said he's served as the town's calling (consulting) engineer for neighborhood projects, said geotechnical borings detected organic material in the base under the pavement where residents reported cracking and "roller-coaster" dips. Jensen said those conditions can produce recurring settlement even when density tests at construction passed.
Jensen described two main approaches. A shorter-term fix would remove asphalt, scarify and recompact the base and repave. Based on a contractor's publicly bid unit prices, Jensen estimated that approach at about $111,000 (he recommended adding a contingency, which could bring the approval near $120,000). The longer-term option would be a full-depth reconstruction: remove asphalt and base to 8'10 inches, install geogrid reinforcement, rebuild the road and repave. Jensen said that work would require closing the roadway for roughly two weeks and would cost about $164,000; with contingency he estimated roughly $175,000.
When commissioners asked about life expectancy for the geogrid option, Jensen said geotechnical consultants see 15-plus years in comparable applications but cautioned there is no industry guarantee. Commissioners and residents pressed for more monitoring data: the town has one recent set of elevation shots and borings and agreed to schedule additional measurements (quarterly) so the commission can better judge urgency and budgeting needs. Jensen also said the problem could extend beyond the single short block initially assessed; several participants urged looking farther south toward the 90s block numbers to capture the full area of settlement.
Manager Heidi Siegel said staff would bring back more information on the geogrid product's documented performance, additional elevation measurements and options for funding (reserves, assessment funds or budgeting next year). The commission did not vote to authorize immediate repairs; instead it directed staff to collect more data and return with procurement and budgeting recommendations.
