Franklin county seeks funding to repair culvert on Bluff Road

County official are seeking funds to repair a major culvert on Bluff Road near the Apalachicola airport.

The culvert provides drainage for an estimated 1000 acres including much of the airport – county administrative director Alan Pierce said the pipe is rusting on the bottom and beginning to bow in.

Replacing it will probably be an expensive job as it is a large culvert and traffic will have to be maintained while the work is done.

The county has approach the Department of Transportation with a proposal to replace the 12 foot diameter culvert with two smaller culverts, but there is still a question of who will pay for the job.

The County hopes DOT will find funding to pay for at least most of the work; commissioner Smokey Parrish said he would use a portion of his paving funds if necessary to cover what DOT will not.

There is also a time issue, as the county plans to pave that section of Bluff Road paved soon and the culvert has to be replaced before the paving is done.

Commissioners agreed that this situation counts as an emergency and told staff to expedite the process as much as possible. 

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