City of Columbia to discuss proposed Old Plank Road culvert project Monday night
Columbia, Mo. (KMIZ)
Columbia city leaders will discuss design plans for the Old Plank Road culvert project during Monday night's city council meeting.
According to the council agenda, city officials said the existing culvert-- originally built in 1986-- has significantly deteriorated over time. In December 2020, a structural inspection determined that approximately 90% of the metal at the bottom of the structure has rusted through, resulting in the loss of essential bedding material beneath the pipes, the agenda says.
The City of Columbia has appropriated $757,490.18 for the Old Plank Culvert Replacement as part of its system maintenance program.
According to city records, the Streets Department has $29,153.87 encumbered for the project and has spent $26,153.87 so far, leaving a remaining balance of $730,846.61.
The Old Plank Road Replacement Project, managed by Tom Wellman, will replace failing and undersized corrugated metal culverts beneath Old Plank Road near Forum Boulevard. The Public Works project is partially funded through a grant, with the Stormwater Division assisting in covering the remaining costs.
The total project budget is $400,000, with half of that amount currently appropriated.
Plans call for removing the existing culvert and replacing it with a single-opening arch structure. Construction is expected to begin in fall 2026.
Nate Walker lives near the culvert slated for replacement and agrees improvements are needed.
"I think there's something that needs to be done with this road," Walker said. "When we had the snow storm about a month ago, you could see there's not really good ditches or anything here, and it's very narrow."
Walker says his main concern is how construction could impact daily life for him and his neighbors.
"The only think that I'm concerned about is access to our homes, access to getting in and out and so forth but I'm not against progress," he said.
That progress is already visible nearby. The West Old Plank Road exit at the Route K roundabout reopened Feb. 13 after construction began Feb. 5, completing Phase 4 of that project. All driving lanes within the roundabout are open.
Walker said when the roundabout temporarily closed, traffic was rerouted down Old Plank Road — bringing a surge of vehicles past his home.
“All that traffic came by here and it was almost unbearable at times,” Walker said.
Additional work at the roundabout, including sidewalk installation, grading restoration and streetlight installation, is scheduled to continue this spring.
The city is currently working on 27 projects as part of its 10-year Capital Improvement Plan. Of those, two projects are located in Wards 1 and 2, six are in Ward 3, one is in Ward 4, three are in Ward 5 and three are in Ward 6.
Monday night's meeting is at 7 p.m. at Columbia City Hall.
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