An asphalt company working for the state has repaired a stretch of newly paved road on Kansas Highway 10 that had been causing motorists to hydroplane in standing water.
"We read it in the paper and the sheriff's office had contacted our maintenance department about it," said Ralph Gripka, construction engineer for the Kansas Department of Transportation.
"We found the problem right away and corrected it."
The Douglas County Sheriff's office contacted KDOT after three accidents occurred in a 10-minute span while it was raining about 4:30 p.m. Aug. 22 near the East Hills Business Park.
Two people were hospitalized following the accidents, which involved four vehicles and an ambulance. Their injuries were not considered serious.
Vehicles were hydroplaning in standing water on the outside, westbound lane of the road, the sheriff's department said.
Gripka said that when the road was resurfaced recently, crews apparently left too much of an upward slope on the outside lane, causing water to stand in the lane, rather than drain away.
KDOT contacted Hamm Asphalt, which milled the section of the lane last Thursday, and repaved it Saturday.
"It was over four inches we milled off there," Gripka said.
It has rained since the road was milled, Gripka said.
"We went out and looked at it and it looked OK," he said.
-- Michael Dekker's phone message number is 832-7187. His e-mail address is mdekker@ljworld.com.
No comments
Commenting is turned off for this story.