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Engineers outline complex sewer repair under 100 East Hartsdale Avenue; town readies permits and bids
Summary
Town engineers and Colliers Engineering told the Greenburgh Town Board the broken sewer and collapsed manhole that extend under a 60-year-old apartment building require routing the sewer around the structure; the project is at 90% design, estimated at $8–$16 million, and construction is expected to take about seven months with traffic and pedestrian controls in place.
Town engineering staff and consultants updated the Greenburgh Town Board on Jan. 13 on a complicated sewer-line failure at 100 East Hartsdale Avenue that left a roughly 35-foot-deep manhole collapsed and piping extending beneath an occupied apartment building.
"The break occurred in the front of the building where an approximately 35-foot-deep manhole collapsed along with the piping connected to it," said a member of the design team. The town and its consultants told the board that record drawings for the building are not available, increasing safety risks for any work excavated near or under the structure.
Engineers said they evaluated alternatives and selected an approach that reroutes the sewer around the building rather than attempting repairs under the building. The design team said an independent third-party review agreed the chosen method is optimal.
Cost and schedule: the team gave a planning range of about $8 million to $16 million, with higher amounts reflecting additional upstream rehabilitation or field contingencies such as groundwater management or contaminated-soil disposal. Construction was estimated at about seven months; some site-specific work (major excavation and shoring) could itself take three months or more.
Permits and next steps: staff said the town has 90% design plans and expects to prepare final contract documents this spring. Nontechnical milestones include easement and license agreements with adjacent property owners (and insurer approvals), and a required review by the Westchester County Department of Health, which the county will accept only when 100% plans are submitted. Town staff said bonding is planned in the capital budget and is not expected to delay the project.
Traffic and public access: engineers said two-way traffic will be maintained on East Hartsdale Avenue with reduced lane widths to the state minimum of 10 feet and a 15-mph construction speed; signage and intermittent lane closures for deliveries are anticipated, and the sidewalk in front of the affected building will be closed for several months with crosswalk and flagger arrangements for pedestrians.
Community concerns and outreach: board members pressed the team on whether the current emergency contractor could bid, the use of contract incentives or penalties, and how to shorten the temporary pumping period that has been operating near residences. The team said bidding will be open, penalties are used cautiously because they often lead to disputes, and that the fastest route to improved quality of life for nearby residents is to complete the permanent repair.
Costs to date and design costs: staff said temporary pumping has cost on the order of $100,000 per month, and that cumulative temporary and design expenses are "in the ballpark" of $1.5 million to $2 million; the team volunteered to share the technical evaluation reports and continue public updates.
The board asked staff to continue coordination with the county and to consider a follow-up community meeting so residents can submit written questions and stay informed about schedule changes or unexpected field discoveries.
