CLEVELAND, Mo. - MoDOT has taken extraordinary steps to fix a six-mile stretch of rural highway in Cass County that has been pounded by fully-loaded trucks coming and going from two nearby rock quarries.

The environmentally friendly process of full-depth reclamation has taken a crumbling two-lane Route Y east of Cleveland from one of the worst roads to among the best in the area in only a few weeks. The process wasn't simple, and it required the patience and forbearance of local residents who endured the road's closure.

MoDOT's contractor, Chester Bross Construction Co., brought in Mt. Carmel Stabilization Group, Inc., which specializes in full-depth reclamation projects. They milled off the top layer of asphalt, employed a machine to grind and pulverize more than a foot deep of asphalt, rock and soil below, then stabilized the base by mixing it with Portland cement and compacting it before Bross crews placed a new 3-inch-thick asphalt driving surface on top.

"Full-depth reclamation was used for the first time in the Kansas City District on this badly damaged rural route," said Perry Allen, MoDOT Construction and Materials Engineer. "Poor soil conditions under the original pavement, plus layers of old pavement combined with the age of the road all contributed to its poor condition. The full-depth reclamation process is several times more costly than a typical milling and asphalt overlay project, but MoDOT engineers determined that the more extensive treatment was necessary to survive the more extreme demands created by heavy truck traffic."

The $1 million project was done in two stages: Route D to the Beyer quarry; and Beyer quarry to Route YY. Striping, shoulder work and paving transitions at driveways and cross streets will continue through the next few weeks. Replacement of the Route Y bridge at the Beyer quarry is scheduled in the next three years through MoDOT's Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program.

To see a video of the Route Y project in action, please visit MoDOT's Website at www.modot.mo.gov/kansascity. For instant updates, follow MoDOT_KC on Twitter or send questions and comments to kccommunityrelations@modot.mo.gov.