BREAKING NEWS 1
Published 12:00 am Friday, May 8, 2015
Water that that washed the deep ravine in the downstream — west — side of Woodland Road carried away the culvert, leaving a thin ribbon of asphalt spanning the crater.
Woodland Road served as a dam as runoff from the April 24 torrential rains piled up against it. The raging water ate away at dirt surrounding the culvert and soon pushed it away.
Mt. Olivet Road was reopened on Wednesday. County workers placed a waiting culvert into the gorge created by the flash flooding. The passenger of a vehicle that crashed into the crevice was killed Friday night before the road could be closed.
Parris Donahue with Phil Moore pointed to debris left by the high water that backed up on the east side of Woodland Road, flooding his home.
Mendrop Engineering has completed preliminary work for replacement of the culvert that washed out on Woodland Road April 24.
Batesville Mayor Jerry Autrey said that the city will repair the route using material and services that providers submitted in their annual term bids.
The board of mayor and aldermen is expected to approve the plan at its First Tuesday meeting on May 5.
Civil engineer Byron Houston said that he expects the route to be reopened in three or four weeks. Currently residents of Dogwood Hills subdivision must reach the rest of the city via the Eureka Road.
Houston said that the Woodland culvert replacement will require relocation of underground utilities including a gas line as well as a utility pole.
“I think we’re going to eliminate the flooding problem with that house,” Houston said. The Parris Donahue home near the culvert received about two feet of floodwater from the rain that dumped four inches of rain on a small stretch of Panola County in less that two hours.
