County Officials Investigate 'Never Before Seen' Road Problem on 10th Street

The 10th Street pavement improvement project didn't go quite as planned.

Earlier this month, 10th Street went under construction as part of Washington County's pavement preservation program. The repaved the road from the I-694 bridge to about 300 feet east of Inwood Avenue. 

The project wrapped up on July 13. 

But now, Washington County officials announced that portions of 10th Street are worse than before. During the paving process, sections of the roadway shifted unevenly. As a result the new pavement is rougher than the previous surface.

This is the first time a problem like this has occurred in Washington County. 

County engineers believe this happened because of the heavy equipment used in the milling operation, coupled with the vibrations from the pavement rollers when the pavement was placed. This road was originally built over a swamp/lake area and it appears the vibrations and weight may have “liquefied” the saturated subgrade soils causing these uneven shifts, according to the county.

"It's a swampy, wet area on the south side (of the road), so I think that had something to do with it," said Cory Slagle, the county engineering and construction manager. 

The county is working with soil specialists to further investigate the situation. The county has started collecting information and will soon start soil boring to help collect data, Slagle said.

The county will be working with soil specialists to develop a plan to fix the road most likely in the fall. This will might involve removing the new pavement and possibly full-depth excavation in some areas.

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