T Hwy. repairs to cost half of estimate

A look at the construction that is taking place at the wash-out of Highway T. The Corps of Engineers and the Missouri Department of Transportation are hoping to have "T" Highway open by the end of June. (Pictures courtesy of the Corps of Engineers)

WAPPAPELLO, Mo. -- Repairs to Highway T at Wappapello will cost less than half of early estimates, according to a contract awarded Friday by the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Robertson Contractors of Poplar Bluff, Mo., submitted a low bid of just over $638,000. MoDOT initially said costs could be $1.3 million, the cost to replace the same section of road after 2011 flooding.

"While we knew some of the work we did last time wouldn't need to be done, we thought it might be a little bit higher because of the accelerated time line," said district engineer Mark Shelton. "We got what I thought were really good bids."

The road is slated to be done before the July 4th holiday and will use the same style culverts and design as the previous road, according to MoDOT.

A section of state highway about one-third of a mile in length was damaged by high waters that topped the Wappapello Dam overflow spillway in early May.

This is the third time in the dam's 76-year history that the overflow spillway has been used.

A new water control plan reduced the volume of water that topped the overflow spillway and the number of days the water continued to go over, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Three public meetings were held last week to discuss the events of the 2017 flood.

Personnel from the Wappapello Lake Management Office and the St. Louis District Office were on hand for a formal talk on the 2017 events and answer questions regarding upstream and downstream issues, and the reopening of campgrounds and recreation facilities, according to a press release.

Water flowing into Wappapello Lake from its watershed set a new record in May, but lake elevations and outflow did not.

A height of 398.10 feet on May 2 ranks third in the lake's history.

Outflow of 22,000 cfs through both spillways ranks second.

The lake held back as much as 156,000 cubic feet per second, a one-day average of water flowing into the lake, said project manager Cindy Jackson.

This is nearly double the inflow seen in 2011, when the lake reached a record height of 400.04 feet.

Water released from the primary and secondary spillways set a record of 26,200 cfs in 2011.

Jackson attributes the lower outflow in 2017 to changes made to the water control plan in 2016.

"We released early and we released more," Jackson said.

The new plan allows Wappapello to increase releases when rainfall has started and a lake elevation of 380 feet is predicted.

Under the previous plan, a maximum release could not occur until the lake reached 380 feet.

The maximum release from the primary spillway is also increased under the new plan from 10,000 cfs to 15,000 cfs.

The water control plan requires rainfall on the ground to trigger changes in release.

"We can't release water on predictions," Jackson said.

Forecasts can be wrong, she explained. In 2011, the lake got about three inches less than forecast. In 2017, it got almost three inches more.

Releasing water too early could cause problems both for the people downstream, and for the lake, Jackson said.

Residents downstream got more rain in 2011 than forecast, she said.

It could also be difficult to reach summer pool again, if storm fronts do not move as predicted, according to Jackson.

Water topped the overflow spillway for seven days in this flood, Jackson said. Under the old water control plan, it would have continued to flow for 10 days, the Corps says.

Other bids submitted for Highway T repairs were:

• H.R. Quadri Contractors -- $771,826

• Midwest Heavy Construction --$921,697

• Above And Below Contracting -- $947,777

• Young's General Contracting -- $970,081

• RL Persons Construction -- $1,130,425