County reclaims problem road

County Road 1660 near Holiday Acres has been “reclaimed”.

The Randolph County Commission has heard many complaints about the poor conditions of that particular county road which is under their care.

“It wasn’t designed to handle the number, weight and speeds of vehicles that are driven on it,” said Presiding Commissioner Susan Carter.

In 2008, the Commission rented a reclaimer to work on other county roads near Cairo. The machine is able to dig down to the base, to stabilize or “reclaim” the road bed. The commission looked into the possibility of purchasing a reclaimer for use on the many gravel roads in the county but ultimately decided to wait, a wise decision based on the downturn in the economy.

This year, they had the opportunity to try another reclaimer.

“This one is bigger than the one in ‘08,” said Commissioner Wayne Wilcox. “It can dig deeper and get to the railroad bed that 1660 is on.”

Despite the rains the area endured last week, the reclaimer was put to good use and Carter said things went well.