Repairs begin on flooded MKT Trail, Boone County roads
COLUMBIA — Boone County Public Works and Facilities Maintenance began making repairs Thursday on the MKT Trail and county roads that were damaged in last week's flooding.
The repairs for the trail are estimated to cost the county $33,000, and estimates are still being made for the road repairs, according to a news release from the Boone County Commission.
The county will be using money from their emergency fund to pay for the repairs that consist of base rock and trail surface replacement on the MKT Trail.
Most road repairs will take place in the northeast quadrant of the county. These roads include: Reams Road, Remie Road, Hartley Road, Kircher Road, Owens School Road, Varnon School Road, Brock Rodgers Road and Wyatt Lane. In addition, bridge approaches will be repaired on Rock Quarry Road, according to Boone County Public Information Officer Porsche Moran.
The MKT Trail experiences flooding each year. Flooding occurred twice last year on the trail, once in April and again in September, Moran said.
Moran said the cost of last year's repairs estimated $4,000 to $5,000. There is no way for the county to avoid the flooding, and the repair costs depend on how much damage the water creates during each flood.
"The county tries to fix and repair the damaged areas as quick as possible," Moran said.
"We have gone through the roads and tried to make sure the roadways are open and emergency vehicles have access," Public Works Maintenance Operations Manager Chip Estabrooks said. "Now we have to go back and make additional repairs on culverts and drains that were damaged."
Depending on weather, county residents should see these repairs finished by the end of the week, and repairs should not majorly impact roadway travel.