A workshop to discuss a preliminary engineering report for Nile Valley Road was held Tuesday at City Hall.

Thomas Kuykendall of Civil Corp engineering presented the Bay City Council with a bridge analysis, several long term solutions and the overall costs to repair the road were discussed.

The report stated findings and possible recommendations for pavement and bridge rehabilitation strategies.

Six cost estimates ranging between $2.6 to 4.2 million were provided by the engineering firm for rehabilitation of the existing roadway infrastructure.

The 2.7 mile stretch of road that cuts between SH 60 and SH 35 was shut down last year after a land surveyor inspected the road and deemed it unsafe for the public.

The existing roadside structures and features, slopes, metal beam guard fence, existing front and back slopes would need to be replaced, said Kuykendall.

The road, which was constructed in 2006 and cost approximately $2 million, will need roadside structures and feature improvements, he added.

A total of 16 highway signs throughout the project, many of which have lost their reflectivity and will need to be replaced prior to the roadway being opened to traffic, read the report.

“The deteriorated pavement condition and deficient geometric design of Nile Valley Road today, from Roberts Road to SH 35, creates the need to rehabilitate the roadway before reopening to public use,” he said.

“I don’t want future leaders to face the same problems we are having now,” said Mayor Mark Bricker. “We have to work together, learn from our mistakes and make sure this is done right.”

Other recommendations include rebuilding the bridge approach roadways to meet a 55 mph design speed, build retaining walls with concrete rails along each edge of both bridge approaches, construct slopes, construct parallel wing walls at bridge ends, fill HDPE pipes with flow able backfill beneath the roadway, remove existing guard rail along each edge of the bridge approach and roadways, remove and replace existing approach slabs and cement stabilized backfill.

Council will take action on options of repairing the road in a future council meeting.