480 foot long scour hole on Highway 136 in Atchison County, called by Transportation Dept assessors, "The Beast." Picture Courtesy of the Missouri Department of Transportation.
“The Beast” is about to be tamed.
The Department of Transportation has awarded a nearly 3.5 million dollar contract to Leavenworth Excavating & Equipment Company, Inc., of Leavenworth, Ks., to repair a 480 foot long hole in Highway 136 in Atchison County. At up to 65 feet deep, the gap left by the Missouri River Flood was quickly dubbed “The Beast” by MODOT assessors.
The Department’s Northwest District spokeswoman Melissa Black says it is expected to take more than 100,000 tons of rock to fill that opening. It is about equal to the size of three other holes in 136, combined. Lexeco wass awarded the contract on those as well.
The target date for completion is November 28th, but Black notes that many of the flood repair projects have been ahead of schedule due to favorable weather. That means the work might be done by around Thanksgiving.
Those who want to see exactly what a “Beast” of a scour hole looks like can see pictures of it and follow the progress of repairs by visiting the Northwest District’s website.