By Ed PruneauRecord Staff WriterA Warren County commissioner has proposed a “joint venture” to rebuild the Augusta Bottom Road north of the levee where it currently is located.Hubie Kluesner, Southern District commissioner, “planted the seed” of the idea Monday with members of the Washington Area Highway Transportation Commission.With Kluesner was Chad Eggen, executive director of the Boonslick Regional Planning Commission.Kluesner said his goal is to get Boonslick and the East-West Gateway Coordinating Council to work together and with other local governments to make the project a reality.He said he has contacted East-West Gateway officials about the idea.“This is the time to do it, with the new (Highway 47) bridge being built,” Kluesner remarked. He estimated that the project would cost about $5 million.Eggen said East-West Gateway officials said they are open to discussing the idea.Idea Not NewMoving the road off the levee is not a new idea, it was pointed out. Years ago, the city engineering department developed alternate plans for the project which put the cost at slightly over $1 million.“But we could never get support for it,” remarked Bernie Hillermann, committee member.Kluesner noted that he has been in contact with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding the project. He said the levee has sunk about 2 feet over the years. By moving the road off the top, the levee could be raised without bringing in a lot of additional dirt, he noted.Right of way for the new road would have to be acquired from four property owners, Kluesner said. Three are willing to give the land for the project, but one is not, he said.“We’re hoping you will support this,” Kluesner told the committee.No vote was taken, however, Bill Straatmann, chairman, noted that the committee has always worked toward improving the Augusta Bottom Road. The committee is only a recommending body and any decision to assist in funding will have to be made by the city council, he noted.Bill Miller Sr., member, said the idea “makes sense,” but getting all the parties to agree on the project may be difficult.Brinker’s PositionLater in the meeting, 1st District Commissioner Tim Brinker stated that Franklin County won’t be part of the joint effort.“Franklin County won’t be participating in what I feel is a Warren County project,” Brinker remarked.The project is needed, Brinker conceded, noting that “we have to take care of our own roads,” in Franklin County.“I won’t pledge Franklin County dollars for a road in Warren County,” he said.City Engineer Dan Boyce said he doesn’t see how the East-West Gateway council can get involved in the project since it’s in the Boonslick planning region.Darren Lamb, community and economic development director, said the focus of East-West Gateway, which serves as the clearinghouse for federal transportation funds to local governments, is on preserving existing roadways, not building new roads.AgreementMayor Sandy Lucy asked how this proposal would affect the recent settlement agreement reached to construct safety improvements along the section of the bottom road known as the Augusta Parkway.Under that settlement, Washington and three other government entities — Warren and St. Charles counties and the town of Augusta — agreed to share in the estimated $80,000 cost to install guardrails along the parkway which is flanked by large water holes and was the site where Ella Neier, 16, Washington, died in a traffic accident in 2010.Kluesner was the only Warren County commissioner to vote against signing the agreement.In addition to the safety improvements, Warren County also agrees to take over maintenance of the former parkway, which was rebuilt after floods in the mid-1990s.In the event a flood would destroy the levee road over the next 10 years, no repairs would be made unless funding were made available through FEMA, the agreement states.Warren County will be required to repair Augusta Parkway and maintain it to where it is similar to the rest of the roadway that lies in the county, and be allowed to install reflective warning signs where utility poles and a tree are located in lieu of moving or removing the objects.The agreement requires Warren County to assume ownership of the Augusta Parkway by Oct. 30 and complete repairs and safety improvements this fall if feasible, but no later than July 1, 2016.The agreement has been signed by all parties involved except for the Neier family, Lucy told the committee.It is contingent upon the dismissal of the lawsuit filed by Neier’s parents. If the suit is not dismissed by Aug. 31, the settlement agreement will be voided.Augusta Bottom Road has been a hot topic for decades and the interest was renewed following the 2010 fatal crash. It is located in southeastern Warren County and is primarily used by motorists traveling to and from St. Charles County and Washington.Augusta Bottom Road