The rebuilt portion of South Mitchell Road is now temporarily open to traffic.
The base layers of the project are complete, and according to a member of Rudy’s Construction, the road will remain open for about a week before crews return to lay the final two-inch layer of smooth S4 asphalt.
So far, the contractor has excavated the old roadway down to the dirt, installed geogrid, a mesh reinforcement material, and placed six inches of aggregate. Using a GPS-guided grading system, prepped the base before paving it with six inches of S3 asphalt, the heavy-duty structural layer.
After allowing the roadway to settle, crews will return to install the final S4 asphalt surface, providing a smoother finished ride.
Rickey Owens, engineer with The Cowan Group, said the road is being built to Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) specifications because of the large amount of heavy truck traffic it carries. Those higher standards are designed to provide a longer-lasting roadway.
The final one-third of the Mitchell Road reconstruction project will begin once additional grant funding becomes available, in the near future. In the meantime, the remaining section has become rough from heavy truck traffic during construction. Kingfisher County Commissioner Mike Sparks said he is working with the contractor to make temporary improvements and keep the roadway in better condition until work on the final phase can begin.
Photos by AAH Jack Quirk
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