Rolling Ridge Road to close Thursday for storm sewer replacement

Drivers on Jasper’s Ridge Road corridor had to reroute Thursday morning as Rolling Ridge Road closed on the south side of its intersection with Ridge Road for storm sewer replacement ahead of later paving.

The Jasper Street Department said the closure began at 8 a.m. and was limited to the Rolling Ridge segment near Ridge Road, which stayed open to local traffic during construction. Motorists were told to use St. Charles Street and SR56 as the detour while crews worked through the day.

The project is part of a sequence that city street officials use to protect new pavement from future drainage failures. Replacing the storm sewer before paving helps avoid the kinds of problems that can shorten a road’s life, including washouts, standing water, potholes and premature pavement failure. By handling the underground work first, Jasper is trying to avoid tearing up fresh asphalt later.

Barring unforeseen issues, Rolling Ridge Road was scheduled to reopen by 4 p.m. the same day, keeping the disruption short but concentrated for anyone who lives, works or commutes near the Ridge Road corridor. The street department listed 812-482-1130 as the contact number for questions or updates.

Jasper’s paving guidelines say motorists are normally warned with Road Work Ahead signs, No Parking signs and cones along the construction area. The guidelines also say the Street Commissioner notifies residents of street work through reports to the Board of Public Works and Safety, putting the closure within the city’s regular public-works process.

The Rolling Ridge work followed a related closure notice from April 30 that shut the road from SR56 and West 6th Street to Ridge Road for the same reason, with a same-day reopening target. Together, the notices showed Jasper’s approach this spring: replace the storm sewer first, then pave later in the year, so the street can hold up longer once the surface work is finished.