ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – South St. Louis County residents contacted the You Paid For It Team to get answers about the shape of their roads.
One of the problem roads: Bayless Avenue near Lemay Ferry Road. Residents say they’ve been dealing with bad roads for years, including potholes that damage their vehicles.
Fred Crawford, a retired police officer who had been on the St Louis County Police Department, called FOX 2 to complain.
“I’m kind of disappointed. As a former police commander, I always had a great relationship with St. Louis County and the highway department, and they always were great, but I’ve tried to reach them or tried to reach our local councilman, and we haven’t gotten any results to help us,” he said.
“I think the residents are really kind of fed up with the whole thing. Damage to their tires, their cars, having to change lanes, and coming into oncoming lanes almost to avoid the damage in the road.”
He’s not alone.
“They’re horrible…I mean, it’s been years that they were supposed to fix it, according to my understanding, the county was supposed to come fix it,” said resident Kathy Roe.
FOX 2 paid a visit to the St. Louis County Transportation and Public Works Department. Representatives declined to go on camera but said in a statement that they had a $2.3 million project to fix the roads, which began in October. They expect to be finished by the summer.
Last October, N.B. West Contracting, a St. Louis County DOT contractor, began work on our Bayless Avenue improvement project (AR-1693). The limits of the $2.3 million project are from Union to Lemay Ferry Road.
Because the removal and replacement of a road’s driving surface is the last major component of an improvement project like this, Bayless’ pavement remains in poor condition. (Typically, repairs are first made to the road’s concrete base, followed by removal and replacement of deficient sidewalk and curbing, etc.). However, by next fall – and perhaps even by summer – this stretch of Bayless will sport entirely new driving pavement.
In regard to the potholes, we have directed N.B. West to fill any that are located within the project limits. The company will perform this work as soon as weather permits. Please note, though, that the pavement itself is in generally substandard condition – potholes or no potholes – hence our decision to invest such a considerable sum of public funds to upgrade it.
David G. Wrone, St. Louis County Departments of Transportation and Public Works
FOX 2 began contacting officials on Tuesday. By Thursday, we saw crews out filling potholes. In the meantime, we also received a statement from Councilman Trakas:
Work on the Bayless Avenue improvement project (between Lemay Ferry Rd. on the east & Union Rd. on the west) began in October of last year. Removal and replacement of the Bayless Ave. road surface is the last major part of the project. I am advised that by fall of this year, at the latest, it is expected that the road surface of Bayless between Lemay Ferry Rd. and Union Rd. will be completely repaved. In the interim, it is my understanding all potholes and other road surface issues will be addressed and repaired prior to the final repaving. Finally, I am providing you with a link to information on the project.
St. Louis County Councilman Ernie Trakas
