Yes it is true....it's no April fools joke.....local, state, and federal government agencies worked together and were able to accomplish something....and get this......it was
UNDER BUDGET!!!!!....by almost half!! :rocker::clap:
Look at the beauty of their work....:bigthumb:
Moab Times-Independent - With construction complete Mineral Bottom Road is reopened to vehicle traffic
"After three months of construction, the Mineral Bottom Road, Grand County Route 129, officially reopened Tuesday, March 29. The road, closed since a portion of the switchback section was washed out with heavy rains on August 19, provides access to the Green River and White Rim Trail.
Federal and local officials originally believed that the project would not be completed until late spring, reopening in June or July, however, according to Andrew Coit, the project engineer for U.S. Department of Transportation’s Central Federal Lands Highway Division (CFLHD), construction crews were able to use alternative construction methods, which aided in the project being delivered ahead of schedule. Coit also acknowledged that the aggressive repair strategy, cooperative partners, and the experienced and knowledgeable contractor enabled the project to be completed for about $900,000, about half the $1.95 million originally budgeted for the work.
“Construction crews were able to quickly mobilize and commence construction activities using these alternative methods, and Bureau of Land Management, Grand County, and Canyonlands National Park were all active in getting the project started and headed in the right direction,” said Coit. “The support and input throughout the process of those partners were very efficient and effective.”
Russ von Koch, recreation division chief for the Buruea of Land Management in Moab, said that the project owes a lot of its success to the Utah governor’s office and Congressman Jim Matheson, who were “very supportive” of the project.
“This is just another great example of local, state, and federal government branches working together to come up with a solution and cooperatively work toward making it happen,” said von Koch. “It’s just amazing what everyone was able to accomplish.”
Coit said KSUE Construction, Inc., a local contractor that won the bid for the work, worked efficiently and quickly to help save money and time. He said KSUE’s ability to respond, communicate, manage, and perform the work proved to be instrumental in delivering a quality product in a short time and within budget.
Von Koch also agreed that KSUE’s efforts to work with the design team during the process helped expedite the project.
“The key result of this cooperative work environment is the savings to the county because of the early opening,” he said. Last fall, a BLM study showed that the county stood to lose $5 million in revenue from tourism should the road remain closed until June or July.
Coit said he has been employed by CFLHD for two years, but this is his first time working on a project for the agency’s Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads (ERFO) program. ERFO funding is intended to pay for “replace in-kind” repairs. The reconstruction and repairs to Mineral Bottom Road repaired the washed-out section of the road to pre-disaster conditions, with a few exceptions, according to Coit.
KSUE was able to generate most of the fill dirt needed for the construction on site by blasting into the hillside. Some aggregate was brought in for roadway surfacing, clay was used for the core of the detention dam above the switchbacks, and concrete was poured to provide rigid pavement sections in areas where water could cause the most damage, von Koch said. Coit said there was also a focus to integrate several redundancies in detouring drainage water away from the switchbacks to ensure future storm events do not cause such significant damage and, hopefully, save the county money in extra maintenance costs.
“It has been a great experience and I am proud to be part of this delivery team,” said Coit."
