Construction on Kaliste Saloom Road is nearing an end.
Councilwoman Nannette Cook along with facilitators of the project explained the final phase of construction while addressing concerns and what’s to come.
The $40 million project consists of five lanes, a roundabout and bridge all in 2.2 miles.
Officials say it will create more road capacity and efficiency for future business and residential developments.
Additional lighting will also be added to the roadway.
Some residents are happy about the project but concerned about how long it took to complete it. There is also concern about existing drainage problems.
“2.1 miles in two years, that’s not acceptable,” one resident said.
“It wasn’t a whole lot recently with a little rain but when it was raining heavily there was water pooling several feet out into the road. This should not be on this new road,” another resident said.
One of the project engineers, Mark Lavergne, says they inspect the site everyday and are monitoring water flow in the area.
“The design of a new concrete roadway such as this does allow for some pooling of water on the surface during the actual rainfall event, but that water will quickly go into the subsurface system and be carried away down to the Vermilion River,” Lavergne said.
The project began in 2008. So why did it take so long?
“Sometimes it was a matter of the person's idea of the property versus the actual appraisals that we received so we had to work through those conflicts with the land owners. I would say funding, right of way, and weather were the biggest impacts on this project,” Lavergne said.
The project is set to be completed at the end of May 2022.
One of the residents questioning the process, Carol Ross, sent us an email about the story.
"Saw your report this evening including my comments and Mr. Lavergne’s response. He said he doesn’t know where I got my information — I got it from an LCG public works presentation in March of 2019 at the South Regional Library. I am attaching the entire report and direct your attention in particular to Pages 5 - 7 for the project timeline, costs and comparison to the Verot School Road project," Ross wrote. "Perhaps Mr. Lavergne is not aware of this information, but I think the public should know the facts. And project costs include far more than just construction costs."
Here's a copy of that report:
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