Manor Lane culvert emergency: council defers award while staff coordinate sewer and environmental clearances

Public works staff told the council that the Manor Lane culvert has eroded and that undermining beneath the roadway has created voids that could lead to a road failure and cut access to multiple multifamily units. Staff described the existing culvert as galvanized metal that has degraded and said they plan to replace it with two concrete culverts, a concrete headwall and flow‑fill stabilization.

"There's about 4 inches of dirt between the bottom of the culvert and the sewer line," staff said, explaining clearance conflicts discovered during utility locates. Because a sewer main runs under the culvert and the site is within a state waterway, staff asked to defer the award of the Manor Lane emergency culvert replacement project to Sept. 10 to secure emergency authorization from TDEC and coordinate with wastewater authorities. Council agreed to defer the award to allow the required permitting and engineering adjustments.

Staff emphasized the project is time‑sensitive because a road failure could cut access to nearby multifamily residences and that interim flow‑fill and stabilization work has already been done. The item will return for final action on Sept. 10 once utility locates and clearance solutions are resolved.