Traffic on Browntown Road near the Cleveland Avenue crossing in Baroda has been taken down to one lane for emergency work to shore up a failing culvert.

During routine inspection of culverts, a contractor for the county road department found what they call a significant issue, identified it as a structural emergency, and now the county is moving quickly to fix the problem.

County Administrator Brian Dissette says engineers with the Wightman civil engineering firm have looked at the problem and determined traffic will have to be reduced until the fix is made.

“The road department met with Wightman on site (Wednesday). Initially, they thought they were going to need to close the culvert to all vehicle traffic. They made the decision that there was enough support there that one lane of traffic could remain open.”

The cost to replace the culvert is currently estimated at $1.5 million. The county commission approved the request to move forward.

Browntown Road is currently narrowed to one lane and the work is expected to be complete ahead of the Cleveland Avenue resurfacing project scheduled for the summer of 2025.