City Council approves emergency repairs for Rue St Germaine Street
The Picayune City Council called an emergency meeting on Friday, February 23, to address a problem with Rue Street Germaine. Public Works Director Eric Morris gave the council a brief synopsis of the situation.
“We had reports of concrete street panels cracking and dropping. When we initially investigated it, we thought it was sewer related, but once we dug some of the panels, we determined it was due to storm water that had been coming through the expansion joints and cutting the base from under the concrete, thus creating a void of support. Under the weight of heavy trucks, like those contracted to pick up city garbage, the concrete panels gave way since the support base had eroded away,” Morris explained.
Pictures provided by Eric Morris (except for the map showing the location)
Morris told the council that Dungan Engineering came to the same conclusion after their investigation of the problem.
Brooks Wallace, of Dungan Engineering, said it appears the joints were not sealed properly when the road was built and Morris added that he does not believe the builder of the road had a solid understanding of the amount of water that would run down the road when it rains.
Morris said there were two options on how to proceed with repairing the area:
Start taking up concrete all over the street area and try to find the places where the voids exist, or
Fill it with closed cell foam urethane from a contractor (Bulldog Construction Company, Madison, MS) that has experience in doing this type of work.
The second option’s approach is to drill holes in the concrete in a 6 to 8 foot grid and insert the foam in its liquid form. The foam, once it hardens, will fill the voids and should allow the concrete panels to level out once the missing base is replaced with foam.
A magnified view of the foam once it dries and hardens
Morris said that the Pearl River Utility Authority was able to shoot a dye underneath the concrete panels and provided location of the voids in the base to provide an estimate of the area that needs the foam. The area to be repaired is approximately 4,080 square feet. The area was built in 2007 before the city annexed the area served by the street. The road is approximately 700 feet long according to Morris.
Morris provided the council with a packet with details of the existing problem, the foam approach to a fix, and the estimated cost of the repair which is $33,128.25.
After a short discussion, the council voted unanimously to approve the work, which will come under a budget amendment and will be paid from cash reserves.
