A second set of emergency repairs will happen along Moffett Road and the South Ravine while the village of Lake Bluff continues the process of applying for federal funding to pay for permanent repairs.
On Aug. 28, the Village Board approved paying V3 Construction Group of Woodridge up to $94,000 to fix damage caused by flooding on July 12.
“The storm sewer on Moffett Road was overwhelmed,” said Village Engineer Jeff Hansen. “Water was flowing down the slope directly. If we have another big storm, the road could be threatened again, as the slope is being eaten away.”
In April 2016 much of the slope in the South Ravine had eroded and the stretch of Moffett Road that runs over it had deteriorated.
The village analyzed the problem and estimated it would cost more than $1 million to repair.
“It was too much so we pursued federal funding,” Hansen said.
Specifically, the village is pursuing federal Surface Transportation Funds. The funding would pay for 80 percent of the estimated $1.2 million in permanent repairs, leaving the village responsible for about $240,000, according to Village Finance Director Susan Griffin.
Permanent repairs would include rebuilding the slope in a step fashion, replacing the concrete structure where a water pipe comes out of the slope and lining the pipe to strengthen it.
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Applying for the funds is a two-year process, Hansen said, and the condition of the South Ravine and part of Moffett Road had become a public safety concern.
In the fall of 2016, the village spent $94,000 on repairs, said Griffin. Those repairs included fixing sheet piling on the north side of the culvert, re-grading the slope, placing rocks on the slope to hold it in place and repairing parts of the guardrail, pavement and curb along part of Moffett Road.
Then came more than six inches of rain July 12. Federal funding is expected in time to make permanent repairs in August of next year, Hansen said. The village could wait for permanent repairs but Hansen doesn’t think that’s a good idea.
“It would be taking a larger chance,” Hansen said, adding that part of Moffett Road could sag. “We generally see the most erosion in the spring before vegetation is established. My concern would be that spring rains would continue to (cause erosion).”
He said everything was perfectly fine until the July rains.
“We can’t say we will never need to do (temporary repairs) again, but the odds are with us that it will last until next year and the permanent repairs,” Hansen said.
Work is scheduled to start work in the second week of September and will take about three weeks, Hansen said.
The village has applied for federal disaster funds to see if can be reimbursed for repairs caused by the July 12 rains, said Griffin. If approved, the village could be reimbursed for 75 percent of its September repairs.
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