Palmyra Highway Dept. meets Vault Rd. challenge
Story and photo by Beth Hoad

On July 15, the eight-member Palmyra Highway Department road crew began a project on Vault Rd. to alleviate two water runoff problems and correct structural issues that have been deteriorating for years.

Shown are crew members installing drainage pipe along Vault and South Creek Rd.

According to Palmyra Highway Superintendent Mike Boesel portions of Vault Rd. regularly flood during wet periods with runoff water from the hill on the east side of the road.

In addition to water, sediment and debris wash down the now-abandoned driveway leading to the back side of Hogback Hill Motorcycle Track have presented problems during heavy rain storms often depositing large amounts of mud on the road.

The highway department has worked with Palmyra Racing Association for many years trying with some success to divert the flow of water using swales, grading and seeding. It hasn't been enough, though. 'We hope this new drainage system will correct the problem,' said Boesel.

Crews will also restructure the road where it is close to Mud Creek and has sunk in several inches toward the creek, because of traffic negotiating the sharp curve too near the edge of the road, which cannot support it.

The present guard rail sits atop the bank between the intersection with South Creek Rd and Hogback Hill Rd. It will be removed, the road wedged up to level and the guardrail reinstalled approximately two feet toward the center of the road.

A white edge line will be painted inside the rail to make the edge of the road more visible especially at night. That should deter traffic from swinging so wide around the curve and avoid further damaging the highway, said Boesel. He also indicated there is sufficient width to safely accommodate the changes.

The Vault Rd. project is the first phase of a two-phase reconstruction project in that area. Eight crossover culverts will also be replaced on South Creek Rd. this fall to allow settling before public water lines are installed next year. The road will be redone after water lines are installed.

Boesel said bank stabilization between Mud Creek and Vault Rd. might be feasible some time in the future, but it would be too costly and time consuming in the short run. With the cost of fuel more than doubling, and asphalt and road salt increasing as much as 45 percent for next year, unless the bill could be shared with the county, state or federal governments, it would not be cost-effective any time soon.

'We're looking at a possible $110,000 budget for fuel alone next year, and bank stabilization, although effective, would be a very expensive undertaking. Unfortunately when the road was laid out over 150 years ago, creek bank erosion was apparently not a concern. Taking the increasing costs into consideration, right now we can't look far enough into the future to determine if it would be worth the cost,' he said.

Vault Rd. will be closed daily during construction activity, but will be passable nights and weekends. Completion of the first phase is scheduled for early- to mid-August.

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