Four years after a major issue over a road resurfacing project on 1600 Road west of Garnett, Anderson County Commissioners have reached a settlement with the original contractor they say messed up the project. Attorneys representing both the County and the Coughlin Company of St. George, Utah, arrived at a settlement by which the company’s insurer would pay Anderson County $273,715 for added expenses, damages and other costs before a jury trial that was scheduled for tomorrow. Coughlin claimed that the road base of 1600 Road was never meant to handle the weight and frequency of truck traffic it now endures since the East Kansas Agri Energy ethanol plant started taking corn shipments 24 hours a day. They say that constant pounding was part of the problem with this company’s insufficient repair. However, core samples of the roadbed and the repair conducted by an engineering company revealed the problem was due to an improper mix of concrete in the hard surface compound used by the company. County Clerk Julie Wettstein says the county has received the settlement payment.
