Workers with Boone Coleman Construction of West Portsmouth took a brief break on Wednesday afternoon while awaiting one of several loads of stone that will fill the large slip along the 800 block of First Avenue. Repair work to sink holes along this portion of the roadway is expected to begin next week, with the replacement of the blacktop to follow.

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GALLIPOLIS — Construction workers began repairs to the upper portion of First Avenue in Gallipolis on Monday — work that will take several weeks to complete.

Workers with Boone Coleman Construction of West Portsmouth presented the lowest bid to the City of Gallipolis, in the amount of $49,448, for the initial phase of the repair and were busy on Wednesday filling in the large slip that has stopped traffic along the 800 block of First Avenue.

This portion of First Avenue was closed on Sunday, June 17 after a large portion of the roadway slipped into the Ohio River during the early morning hours. The roadway has remained closed since that time.

According to Gallipolis City Manager Randy Finney, this portion of the slip repair should be completed by the end of the week while the remaining repair to sink holes in the area should begin next week.

This process should be completed in another week with blacktop replacement to follow the sink hole repair.

According to Finney, local company Supreme Asphalt will complete this phase of the repair.

Reportedly, the Ohio Public Works Commission had agreed to provide a grant to cover 85 percent of the cost of the emergency repair work to First Avenue.

The city manager has been authorized by the Gallipolis City Commission to utilize up to $80,000 for the repair work.