Desoto board OKS flood-control plan, road, bridge projects
Residents of the floodprone Hallum Estates subdivision in western DeSoto will get relief as the county Board of Supervisors approved Monday a $207,000 plan to join with the Horn Lake Creek Watershed Drainage District on water flow-control measures.
At a meeting laden with infrastructure issues, the board also endorsed stateaided projects to replace the aging Nesbit Road bridge east of Tulane Road, and partial reconstruction and overlay of sections of Centerhill and Getwell roads.
The five-member governing panel also got a progress report showing engineering plans and drawings nearly done on a proposed $2.18 million project with the city of Southaven to connect the Swinnea Road gap between Nail Road and Church Road.
“I’m excited about the flood-control work,” said Supervisor Bill Russell of Walls, whose District 3 includes the Hallum Estates area. “It’s a long-needed project and I’m confident it will relieve the home flooding that’s been ongoing for 12 years — for all the time I’ve been on this board.”
More than a dozen homes in the subdivision have been subject to flooding in the aftermath of major rain or storm events. Under the interlocal agreement approved Monday, the drainage district will reimburse the county $100,000.
The work is viewed as a public works project because of flooding that affects nearby Miss. 301 and “the threat to public health, safety and welfare,” said county road manager Andy Swims. He said the plan is to clear, widen and deepen a channel on the subdivision’s south side, and to enlist a property owner’s cooperation on the west side to construct a levee or berm.
Meanwhile, Mississippi Department of Transportation crews are to address erosion issues affecting the highway.
“We expect MDOT to be out there this week,” said Swims.
The board approved contracts recommended by Tracy Huffman, State Aid engineer for DeSoto projects, for the overlay and bridge projects.
The low bid of $1,321,745 from Lehman-Roberts Co. was accepted for the Centerhill and Getwell work; the contract period will be 45 working days.
Talbot Brothers’ low bid of $391,464 was accepted for the Nesbit Road span replacement; the contract period is for 60 working days and the road will be closed and traffic detoured during this period, said Huffman.
“There’s been a lot in the news lately about bridge failures across the country, and we don’t want to see any in DeSoto County,” said Supervisor Mark Gardner, board president. He noted that on the day’s consent agenda was approval of the State Aid board order for bridge inspections in fiscal 2014 beginning Oct. 1.
Supervisor Lee Caldwell of Nesbit also remarked on DeSoto being “proactive” on bridge safety — and motorists’ convenience as well. Huffman assured her that detour routes would be announced in advance of the work start and will be listed on the county website, destotocountyms. gov.