Southside School, which was closed last Friday after a storm washed part of a hillside onto the road leading to the school, and was closed again Tuesday, reopened Wednesday morning after officials deemed the road to the school passable.
“Mr. (Eric) Johnson (the school principal) just drove around Southside Road and both sides are safe to drive through,” the school posted on its Facebook page Wednesday morning. It also suggested that drivers who did not feel comfortable driving through the slide area come up Southside from the south from Tres Pinos.
The school cancelled classes Tuesday due to safety concerns on Southside Road, after having reoponed Monday following the Friday closure. Another round of rain Monday and more Tuesday prompted officials to err on the side of caution.Â
San Benito County Interim Public Works Director Jim Horwedel told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday morning that county crews trimmed or removed trees and patched potholes ahead of last week’s storm, but still had to deal with the slides on Southside Road. They spent Thursday night and most of Friday clearing the road and brought in an outside contractor to help repair a failed culvert that washed away part of the road.
Crews were out again Tuesday morning “because the road continues to have some problems,” Horwedel said. “We’re trying to avoid future wash-outs.”Â
Damage to Southside road is estimated at under $25,000 so far, Horwedel said, though he has not received a final invoice for the repair work.
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