Soft Soil Under St. Augusta Roads Adds $100K To Construction Bill

The City of St. Augusta's council met Tuesday night, and one of the updates given was on the ongoing road project on 238th, 240th, and Gaberdine Road. The city engineer gave the update, stating that curb and gutter work is expected to begin later this week, but the project costs have risen due to poor soil conditions.

Poor Soil Conditions Cause $100k Increase

During the City Council meeting Tuesday night in St. Augusta, there was an update on the current road construction project on 238th Street, Gaberdine Road, and 240th Street.

According to the city's contracted engineering firm, Moore Engineering, poor soils were discovered by the contractor in the subgrade of the road. The poor soil conditions caused the project to have its first cost increase. According to the city council packet, the increased costs to the project amounted to $101,936.54.

The added costs came from testing done by ITT Geotech of the subgrade soil, as well as the removal of 1 foot of soil, and the placement of type 5 fabric to stabilize the ground.

Some Residents At The Meeting Indicated 'Soft' Areas Remaining

Two residents at the meeting spoke to the council after the engineering update that there were still soft areas of the road, in places where the previous road had breaks and dips in it. Both residents stated that even after the surface being compacted and rolled, soft spots would still develop in the same places, sometimes as soon as 48-hours later.

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Base Paving & Trail Paving Expected Mid-July

The last part of the engineering update gave a soft timeline of remaining events. Starting later this week, curb and gutter is expected to begin in places along the new road, and then next week, the first layer of pavement is expected to be laid, with the new trail expected to follow after.

You can see the full agenda packet from the meeting here.

*Paul Shea is a member of the St. Augusta Planning Commission