Road work to be done in Bainbridge

BAINBRIDGE -- In the town of Bainbridge, it doesn't matter if a driver takes the road less traveled; both roads are pretty beat up.

On Wednesday night, The Bainbridge Town Council discussed what will eventually become a plan to fix the many problems with the town's roads. The board has already received two projected quotes from Wabash Valley Asphalt and Baumgartner and Company Asphalt Services for work on several different roads and sections.

The board agreed that patching up holes with cold patch would not fix some of the serious problems with the road foundations.

"It's not that expensive but it doesn't stay," said Jim Nelson, head of utilities. "We got to do these streets."

The town has not done major work on the roads for roughly three to four years. The town has been fixing potholes and other problems with cold patch, a mix of tar and gravel, but when weather storms like the recent rains come through, the moisture sinks into the cold patch and it begins to come off the road.

Washington Street is in such a need of repair that cold patch is not an option anymore. The town would like to see the road milled and replaced with a strong foundation and asphalt road. The majority of town traffic, be it from the school or from trucks that frequently use the road, goes through north and south Washington Street. Cracks in the surface have penetrated to the earth underneath and moisture seeping through does not help matters.

"I hate this trend of just patching it," said Richard Cope, board president.

Because of the extensive work, Washington Street's repairs would be the most expensive part of the plan. The total project, based on the two quotes received, would be roughly $112,000 to complete. This includes various repairs and resurfacing on Washington Street, Oak Street, College Street, Main Street and the corner of Seminary and Locust.

The town does have the money to complete the project, as they have spare funds saved from over the past few years in the roads budget, said treasurer Jason Hartman. However, they would have to appropriate those funds in order to use them, which would take some time, and it would definitely affect the budget for next year.

Because of the price of the project, the board is required to place the project up for public bid and receive at least three bids, said board member Chuck McElwee.

The board has chosen to advertise for a public bid on the project after hearing from the state regarding a grant that would fix the storm water drains that run under Washington Street, which would require it being torn up anyway. The town will likely advertise the public bids after Friday, May 27.