Drivers on Highway A in Warren County are in for a rough ride. Over the last week, large breaks have formed in at least a dozen places along the paved road, which is a state highway.Ironically, officials with Warren County and the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) said the damage is a side effect of a road improvement project.County Road Department Supervisor Gary Ruether said trucks have been hauling rock along Highway A north to Pin Oak Road.The heavy trucks driving on the highway have been causing or contributing to the breaks in the pavement. Orange cones now warn drivers where the pavement has been removed and temporarily filled.The rock is being laid as the base for new hard surface pavement on Pin Oak Road, Ruether said.Pin Oak is already partly paved, but a little over a mile of new pavement will be laid to finish the road, Ruether said. The existing pavement will also be widened by 2 to 4 feet.To prepare for pavement, Ruether said crews usually lay the rock 8 to 10 inches deep. He said the rock should be done this week.The paving on Pin Oak is expected to be done in August or September. Ruether did not have an estimate for the final cost of the project.In the meantime, MoDOT crews have patched the holes in Highway A with rock, marking the road with cones and warning signs. MoDOT Area Engineer Erik Maninga said permanent repairs will start within a few weeks.

Signs warn drivers on Highway A between Pendleton and Truxton to reduce speed because of damage along the roadway. 

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