Jasper County Highway T-38 between Lynnville and Interstate 80 will be resurfaced starting next week. According to Pam Olson, Jasper County Engineer Assistant, the $3,327,070.56 eight-mile project consists of placing a seven-inch concrete overlay on the existing surface under contract with Manatt’s Inc. of Brooklyn. The project will be paid for by the federally-funded Surface Transportation Project (STP) and Farm to Market (FM) Funds.
A preconstruction meeting to discuss details and scheduling has been held. Manatt’s intends to begin patching on Thursday, Apr. 24, road closure signs and detour signs are scheduled to be placed Monday, Apr. 28, and mainline paving will begin on May 9 or May 12. Paving will begin at Lynnville and proceed north. This schedule may change due to weather and/or coordination with other projects. Construction is estimated to take approximately six weeks to complete. According to a letter from Jasper County Engineer Russell A. Stutt sent to property owners affected by the project, there will be times when access is not possible for local traffic. Local traffic will be allowed on the pavement when concrete maturity is reached and temporary wedges are placed at the edge of the slab. Typically, this will be within 48 hours.
Residents are encouraged to plan travel accordingly during construction. Manatt’s intends to provide golf carts to residents for use during these times. The lack of access is an inconvenience but reduces cost, reduces time of construction, and results in a better overall product, according to the letter.
Emergency services will be notified about the project and they will do all they can to respond to emergency situations. If shoulder width is not adequate, they may be able to travel on the concrete before it reaches full maturity. However, anyone found causing damage to this project will be held liable for the cost of repair or replacement.
All affected schools, mail routes, parks, etc. will be notified of construction. Affected residents are required to coordinate individually with each specific service. These services are encouraged to use S. 36th Ave. E. as a crossing during this project. During the short period that it is not accessible, there will be alternate crossing sties. Manatt’s will replace or adjust mailboxes to postal standards per a bid item on the contract. Drives adjacent to paving will be tapered to the roadway with material similar to existing driveway surfacing.
Residents impacted by the project have been invited to sign up for project updates via email. Manatt’s will also be attempting to contact residents directly adjacent to T-38 and those without alternate access prior to construction.
