Coventry begins sewer work near high school; detour through Wood Estates planned for winter construction

Town staff told the council construction has begun on the Coventry High School sewer extension and residents should expect detours and periodic traffic details for safety.

Assistant Town Manager Marie Broadbent briefed the council on project progress. She said contractors have installed roughly 160 linear feet of sewer on Tioga Avenue and completed a bypass of a stream crossing to allow pipeline work. Sediment and erosion controls are in place. The town coordinated with Kent County Water so temporary water services will be installed on Reservoir Road during the winter shutdown; that coordination avoids re-excavating the road twice next year, Broadbent said.

Broadbent said the contractor will maintain access where possible but that a detour routing vehicles through Wood Estates is planned for the November–December construction phase. She said the detour was designed to avoid trenching in frozen ground; construction will pause for the winter and resume April 3, with final paving expected next summer. Broadbent and councilors agreed that police details should be deployed during peak school travel times when buses are arriving and departing; Councilman Frank Brown pressed for traffic details as soon as the detour is implemented.

Councilors also discussed public outreach: the town distributed an early notice on social media and will hand-deliver follow-up notices to residents who will be affected as work progresses, officials said. Broadbent said the total cost of emergency pumping at the high school to date is about $620,000 and the town is spending about $900 per day for pumping while the permanent sewer connection is completed.

Broadbent said the town will continue monthly progress meetings with the contractor and the school district to coordinate timing and to address traffic safety and pretreatment requirements where the school property connects to the sewer system.