Counties across southwest Missouri are using our "hot and dry" weather to fix up problems caused by flooding last month.
In Polk County, the price tag for road damage is up to one million dollars for flood damage.
The county is taking a new approach to reduce repeat repairs.
An afternoon in upwards of 90 degree heat is not exactly ideal for the Polk County Road and Bridge Crew.
But the good news is once they finish tying off this rebar and laying the concrete, they won't be back.
“Every time it rains we put 1,2,3 loads of rock in these places. The next time it rains we go back and do it again,” explains northern commissioner Stuart Hosiner.
Not near Mitchell Campground southwest of Bolivar, though.
The road repair there is a one-time deal.
That's because the guys are putting down what's called a concrete apron, where loose gravel once caused problems every time mother nature got mad.
While the concrete obviously doesn't stop water from rushing over the road, it does stop the road from washing away, which means crews only have to repair it once.
While that is costly initially, it saves the county a lot of money in the long-run.
Polk is out about $3,000 upfront, but county commissioners say a permanent fix beats a temporary one.
Hosiner explains, “Four to five rains and you're going to equal up as much as you did in concrete” in the cost of gravel.
So the price to fix water over the bridge in the long-run is just water under the bridge.
Polk County has already repaired about six roads with concrete and plans to do about six more.
The county has applied to both Washington and Jefferson City for financial help, but it has not yet heard back from them.