When Tyson Foods volunteered to pay $337,000 to replace a collapsed Miller County road and culvert, it was like Christmas morning for Miller County Judge Roy John McNatt.
"It was the right thing to do," said Bo Watson, Tyson's vice president of operations, about the work on County Road 64
"It was going to wreck the county's road department budget" to pay for the repairs.
The road was damaged March 26 when a bridge collapsed about 5 p.m. near Tyson's River Valley Animal Food plant, which is close to the Red River. The collapse is blamed on heavy traffic and deterioration over time.
Cleve Batte Construction crafted a temporary road within 24 hours, McNatt said.
The road was compacted to carry 80,000 pounds.
The construction company also was tasked with the long-term repairs.
Crews used 12 steel railroad tank cars to replace the bridge. Each tanker weighs about 20 tons. The tank cars were welded together, and dirt, gravel and packing sand were placed over the tank cars. The final step was to seal the bridge with asphalt.
The completed 80-foot structure can carry 50 tons, as well as allow for a continuous flow of water.
Tyson's heavy use of CR 64 prompted it to pay for the repairs to the roadway.
"We have a lot of trucks using the road daily, and that does not include employees and other businesses coming to the plant," Watson said.
On average, the company has about 100 trucks a day going into the plant.
McNatt said the gift from Tyson, which pays for the temporary and permanent repairs, helps position the county to meet future infrastructure needs.
"We can keep working on other roads. We have a lot of roads needing repairs," McNatt said.
No one was hurt when the culvert collapsed, but Mikel Frazier, 41, of Russellville, Ark., had a close call. According to a Miller County Sheriff's Office report, Frazier couldn't see the hole until he was too close to avoid driving into it.
