By Mindy Ragan Wood
Staff Writer
Waterloo Road, like many thoroughfares in Piedmont, has been a raw nerve among those who live and travel on it, but there is good news for those who dread the commute.
The road will get a new road bed and three inches of asphalt for a one mile stretch from Piedmont Road and five inches of asphalt for four miles further west.
Canadian County Commissioner Marc Hader and Piedmont City Council members approved an agreement to partner on the project.
Hader said he knew the commission would repair the four mile stretch under the county’s jurisdiction and wanted to see if Piedmont could afford to pay an offset cost to repair the city’s mile leading up to Piedmont Road.
“We provide costs like manpower and equipment,” Hader said.
The city’s portion of the cost could be as much as $228,000 but may be a little less.
“With a 10 percent contingency, I think it will be more like $210,000 but we always budget for a larger amount and hope for the best,” he said.
City Manager Jason Orr is pleased to see a much-needed road project come together with the county.
“We’re just doing the best we can with the resources we have. It will be a road we won’t have to worry about for another 15 years,” he said. “We anticipate a lot of heavy truck traffic, so we’ll see but it should last for years to come.”
Hader said the road may “look more like a state highway” when it’s finished as early as March or April. Weather could delay the project further, but Hader is hopeful it will be complete by early spring.
The city-county partnership may evolve as other roads are rehabbed.
“This is such a good price and the vendor might be interested in another location with possibly a bid about the same prices,” Hader said. “That’s not a guarantee but we’re hopeful. As the city moves forward and depending on the resources they have, we’ll look for other locations that meet the criteria.”
