NATCHEZ — When bids for an emergency road repair project came in higher than anticipated Wednesday morning, the Adams County Board of Supervisors had to make some quick phone calls to secure additional funding from the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The project in question is Triplett Lane, which due to erosion caused by storm events in the last year has collapsed down to one lane at its low point and threatens to further collapse, endangering not only access in and out of the Kenny Graves Apartments but gas and water lines for the area as well.

Funding for the repairs was previously secured through the NRCS, though the county was going to have to pay for 15 percent of the costs and the resurfacing of the road, County Engineer Jim Marlow said.

The problem was that the low bid for the emergency repairs came in at $91,072, and the initial NRCS funding was for $67,000. The high bid of the two submitted was for $120,067.

Preliminary estimates for the project were between $50,000 and $75,000, but Marlow said that after reviewing the bids he believed the low bid was a fair one for the job.

Regardless of funding, Supervisors President Darryl Grennell said the repairs were a “critical deal that needed to be done yesterday.”

“This is something that has to be taken care of,” Grennell said. “If the NRCS did participate from the beginning, the county still would be responsible (for the repairs).”

While the supervisors discussed other issues, Grennell, Marlow and Board Attorney Scott Slover stepped out of the room to contact an NRCS representative about additional funding.

By the end of the meeting, the supervisors had received oral confirmation that the project had been approved for additional funds, taking the total NRCS participation to $82,802.

The board will have to pay the difference in the bid.

Slover advised the board to give Marlow the authorization to award the bid to the lowest bidder, Midway Construction of Roxie.

Marlow said the bidders were ready to start on construction right away.

Once the project is started, it should take approximately three weeks with the exception of paving, Marlow said.

The county will also need to complete the acquisition of easements to create a temporary road out of the back of Kenny Graves Apartments that will enter the parking lot for Village Square Apartments for access.

Slover said that acquisition is under way, but the county still needs the limited liability corporation that owns the property to sign off on the easement.