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POVERTY POINT ROAD - DIRT AND GRAVEL ROAD PROJECT

Poverty Point Road in Wilmington Township was a 2015 funded site for the Lawrence County Conservation District. The District used Dirt and Gravel Road funds to imporve draining and convert the existing paved low volume road back to a gravel surface.

 

Stormwater was trapped in the road corridor, compromising the road surface and causing long contiguous funs of flow and badly eroded ditches and outlets. The existing "piecrust" tar and chip surface laked any kind of base and was badly deteriorated along much of the road. Springs and seeps along the roadway created perpetual probems in the in winter and spring. The roadway, although not heavily traveled, is featured as part of Lawrence County's Tourist Promotion Agency's places to visit to patronize local producers and craftsment. There is a one-room schoolhouse on site that is in active use.

 

Existing drainage on Poverty Point Road consisited of two ditches that drain directly to the stream at a bridge. Bcause the road was surrounded by fields and at a low point in the topography, drainage dispersal options were limited. Over 500 feet of underdrain and 3 new cross pipes were installed on the section of the road near the schoolhouse

 

The existing farm lane pipe consisted of several different types and sizes of pipe butted together. The pipe ends were being erroded by the road ditch and the pipe was clogged to the point of overtopping the lane and road. The compromised pipe was replaced and work was done to the road ditch and farm lane to improve the crossing area.

 

The change in surface to unpaved was done at the Township's request. With significant horse traffic, it was their hope that the Driving Surface Aggregate would be easier to maintain over the long term. The conversion of a paved road back to unpaved is an eligible expense using either "Dirt and Gravel" or "Low Volume Road" funding. In this case, Lawrence County used the Dirt and  Gravel funds. This prjocect did not involve "Full Depth Reclamation". The plan was to break up the existing thin layer of asphalt, combine it with base aggregate and shape the road, place a layer of geogrid, followed by Driving Surface Aggregate.

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