Could Be More Trouble On Highway 20

More work may be in store along Highway 20 down Keetonville Hill.  That's the same road that was repaired after part of it slid down the hill after heavy rain.  News On 6 anchor Craig Day reports engineers are now looking at another potential problem area.

For a month and a half now, things have been back to normal on Highway 20 along Keetonville Hill between Owasso and Claremore.  Crews are doing some finishing work, but traffic is flowing smoothly again after ODOT put millions of dollars in emergency funds toward fixing a 500 foot section of the highway that slid down the hill.

There is new pavement hill is now reinforced.  But, the work along Highway 20 may not be over with.

An inspection of the original project found other problems about a quarter of a mile away.

"While we were out here, that's when they noticed this area had started to give way just a little bit, so we decided to go ahead and take some preventative steps," said Kenna Mitchell with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

Recent rain caused another section of the hill to slide just outside the original slide area.  The new section is about 30 feet long.

"We have had our geo-technical engineer out here to evaluate the area.  Right now, they say there is no danger to the roadway.  But, they are recommending that we take some preventative steps to go ahead and shore up this area to prevent any further damage from happening," said ODOT's Kenna Mitchell.

ODOT engineers are working on a repair plan.  It will likely include a similar retaining system to prevent the hill from sliding which could damage the roadbed.

With so many people driving down the stretch of Highway 20 every single day, and now with the new developments, many people wonder if the highway is going to have to be closed down once again.

Right now, ODOT says it doesn't anticipate closing the road, but can't give a definitive answer until the design plans are final.

ODOT engineers hope to have their repair plan finished within the next couple of weeks.