Closed since heavy rains from Tropical Storm Debby last August completely washed out a large section of Nevils-Denmark Road, Bulloch County commissioners were told last week they could expect to vote on a contract in April to repair the road with a goal to reopen it by “late summer.”
A section of the pavement, about 700 feet south of Georgia Highway 46 and not far from Nevils Elementary School, collapsed Aug. 6 when the rush of stormwater from Debby undermined a culvert, a structure somewhat like a small bridge but mostly hidden from drivers' view.
Last September, county commissioners unanimously approved spending up to $192,500 with Kimley-Horn and a subcontractor for engineering and design work in preparation for the Nevils-Denmark Road repair.
At the regular March 18 Bulloch County Commission meeting, Assistant County engineer Ron Nelson reported that the hydraulics and hydrology study by Kimley-Horn for the road repair, and working with FEMA, was approved March 12.
Nelson said an ad was place immediately requesting bids for repair with a deadline of March 27 – Thursday. Once a contractor is selected, likely in late April and a contract approved in May, Nelson said he expects a 120-day schedule to get the road back open.
“We anticipate the culvert to be completed and have the roadway back open to traffic in late summer,” he said.
“Appreciate that update,” Commission Chairman David Bennett said. “I know there's a lot of folks down there in the Nevils community that are anxiously awaiting the reopening of that road.”
The collapsed culvert on Nevils-Denmark Road was a "double barrel box culvert, 21 feet wide and 6 feet tall," that was built in 1951 – 73 years old. The new structure probably will be a triple box culvert of a size yet to be determined.
The cost of the Nevils-Denmark restoration could be comparable with that of the Brannen Pond Road project, which was completed in December. The contract price on the Brannen Pond Road restoration, including engineering design and construction, was $760,000.