Work on a new 60-inch culvert running under Buckeye Road began this morning and was expected to be completed by sometime this afternoon.
The culvert was being placed alongside an existing 72-inch culvert and is intended to help reduce the chance of flooding in neighborhoods alongside U.S. 82.
Neighborhoods inside and outside the city were affected on the night of July 23, when 5 inches of rain fell within an hour.
“We’re hoping to have it done in one day. The pipe was a little expensive, but it was definitely worth it,” said Greenwood City Council President Ronnie Stevenson, a resident of Twin Gates.
The city of Greenwood and Leflore County were collaborating on the project. This morning, crews from both were working on the Buckeye Road site. Engineers from Willis Engineering, the county’s engineering firm, were supervising.
The “double-barrel” arrangement of the culverts, along with extensive ditch cleaning over the past few weeks, should help residents, Leflore County District 3 Supervisor Anjuan Brown said.
“It’s going to be beneficial. This is a major improvement,” he said.
Mayor Carolyn McAdams said she hoped the work could be completed today, since rainy weather is forecast for Thursday.
The installation of the culvert forced the temporary closure of Buckeye Road to residents of the Twin Gates subdivision.
Although rain wouldn’t pose a serious problem for the crews, it might delay the reopening of Buckeye Road, where the closure has been a hardship for residents, she said.
The city constructed a temporary road on Greenwood School District land last week, connecting residents of Twin Gates with Cypress Avenue. When the work on the culvert is completed, the temporary road will be closed.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden @gwcommonwealth.com.
