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Engineers and public works outline bridge, street and water projects; council considers prioritization
Summary
City engineering and public works staff updated the council on bridge, street and water-distribution projects, reporting an 80% completion of Freelow Street bridge work, ongoing utility relocation on Augustus Street, and plans to submit water treatment designs to LDH in March.
City engineering and public-works staff briefed the council on Feb. 11 about multiple infrastructure projects: bridge replacements, sewer-collection work, water-system rehabilitation and street-improvement planning.
Engineer William Gerald said Freelow Street bridge work is about 80% complete, pipes have been replaced and roadway restoration is underway and likely to reopen in about three weeks. Augustus Street utilities have been relocated, the existing bridge removed and the contractor is awaiting delivery of box covers before continuing that work. Sewer-collection work in the Port Vista area is progressing slowly because of weather. Gerald said plans for a water-treatment plant design are underway and anticipated to be submitted to "LDH" in March; designers are preparing plans for well rehabilitation and replacement of galvanized steel service lines across city distribution areas.
Public Works Director Travis Vanwright addressed repeated water leaks on individual streets, noting that some leaks require multiple visits and can cause scheduling ripple effects; he said the department will continue work on canal and leak projects when weather allows and that Indian Hills canal is next. Council members and staff discussed the street-improvement capital-outlay program; staff said about $2,000,000 is available for the project, while council-compiled cost estimates for all requested streets exceeded available funds (estimates in the meeting were said to be in the multi-million-dollar range). The engineer said the city will prioritize streets to get the most benefit per dollar and that water-line relocations funded through LDH loan programs could reduce the amount of capital-outlay money needed for streets.
Why it matters: the schedule for replacing water lines, relocating utilities and rehabilitating streets affects the timing and scope of resurfacing and reconstruction work and can change cost estimates and project phasing.
Council members asked for clarity on which streets would be included in initial work and emphasized a preference for complete stretches of roadway rather than piecemeal blocks. Staff said they will provide prioritized lists and cost estimates to the council for deliberation.
