Roseland Drive storm-sewer project delayed after contractor change, residents face driveway closures

Kristen, a staff member presenting the City of Urbandale's annual construction update, said the Roseland Drive storm-sewer project has been slower than planned because of record rain this spring and summer and because the original underground subcontractor went out of business in August. The city notified residents in the first three construction stages by letter in mid-August and said stages 1–3 will be completed this year.

The project covers about 6,300 linear feet of storm sewer and is budgeted at about $4 million. It includes 13,000 square yards of reconstruction and roughly 5,000 square yards of new sidewalk; the work ties back to the city's 2021 stormwater drainage study, Kristen said. She said there are 13 residences without driveway access in the active construction zone and that temporary sidewalks are in place for affected households.

Kristen described site conditions: deep trenches and a location at the bottom of a hill where upstream flows concentrate. She said heavy rains in April–July 2025 — measured as 8 days in April, 9 in May, 12 in June and 15 in July, including a single event that dropped 10.5 inches — repeatedly saturated the construction area and caused multi-day delays after each rain event. “A day of rain usually loses at least two more days of construction, sometimes three,” she said.

Kristen said the original underground subcontractor ceased operations in August; a new underground subcontractor mobilized in early the following week and had progressed from the creek up to Ashwood with plans to cross Ashwood this week. She told the council the hope was to pave Ashwood soon after the new subcontractor cleared the crossing.

Council members pressed for clarity on schedule and resident communications. One councilmember asked whether the August letter told residents when the first three stages would finish; Kristen said the letter promised the streets would be reopened before winter but did not provide a firm completion date because the new subcontractor had only just started work. She said staff updates the project web page weekly as conditions allow.

Kristen said the city expects to be able to reopen Roseland Drive over winter so that no closures persist through the season; work in later phases will continue in subsequent construction seasons. She said staging must also accommodate the calendar of nearby Karen Acres School, which receives only a six-week break, limiting the city’s available work window at the intersection of 70th and Roseland.

Discussion: city staff described two primary causes of delay — saturated ground from exceptional rainfall and a subcontractor failure — and said the new subcontractor is progressing. Direction: staff will continue weekly web updates and monitor progress; the city will aim to open the roadway for winter and then continue phased work in 2026. No formal council vote or policy decision on the project was taken at the meeting.