EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect the television version.
Lewis and Clark County are advising people that significant construction on Sierra Road by Rossiter Elementary will continue into the school year.
The Lewis and Clark County Trap Club Flood Mitigation project began work earlier this month, with the original plan to have Rossiter done prior to school starting.
“We understand that construction projects can be inconvenient and disruptive to normal routines,” said Lewis and Clark County Engineer Dan Karlin. “We hope that people can be patient because the benefits of this flood mitigation project will make a big difference during flooding. We are working with the contractor to get it done as expeditiously with as few disruptions as possible.”
The project contractor, Bullock Construction, is working with the school to reduce disturbances and limit work during drop-off and pickup times.
The public is urged to stay off the south side walking path on Sierra and avoid the active construction sites.
"For everyone’s safety, the workers as well as the pedestrians, the kids, the bikers, please stay on the north side of Sierra just to make sure there’s no conflicts there," said Karlin.
The bus loop will continue to operate while the project is being completed.
The County says while the project is moving forward, the work installing the 14 larger culverts is taking longer than expected.
In the 2018 flood, approximately 80 cubic feet per second (CFS) of water flowed the area, forcing Rossiter Elementary to close their doors and hold classes at Carroll College.
The Trap Club project is designed with a capacity of 400 CFS.
The construction end date is scheduled for December 26, although the County does not anticipate it will take that long.
Rossiter Elementary Principal Doug Baker provided this statement about the construction.
“The culvert project has finally been taking place over the past few weeks and will hopefully prevent additional flooding concerns in the springtime. Due to the amount of work being done and the loss of several of our parking spaces it is going to be of continued importance to be patient with the traffic flow in and out of our parking lot. Please be courteous to one another and to the Rossiter staff. The best measure to ensure safety is for each person coming in and out of our lot to exercise extreme caution. Your attention to our safety expectations is greatly appreciated.”
Baker said he's just appreciative the work is getting done to alleviate some of the flooding, and with cooperative parents everything will go well.
