City wrapping up sewer line project
May 11—ASHLAND — The city is wrapping work a main sewer line that broke last month in the parking lot of the former Foodland and Blockbuster Video, the Ashland Commission learned at Thursday's meeting.
Utilities Director Mark Hall said the emergency project undertaken by city crews and an outside contractor is "nearing the finish line" as crews are installing new mains to cap off each end of the pipe.
The break occurred on April 21 at the shopping center located at the corner of 13th Street and Pollard Road. According to Hall, the 18-inch terracotta pipe installed in the 1950s cracked and ultimately collapsed.
In order to prevent uninterrupted service for residents, Hall said city crews plugged up the main stream of the pipe and rerouted sewage with a pump to the next main in order to prevent seepage into the area creeks.
The pipe was 20 feet in the ground, which was too deep for city equipment to be used to dig, according to Hall.
To prevent workers from being buried alive in the event of a cave-in, trench boxes were placed inside to stabilize the hole.
"A lot of the soil that far down is sand, so it makes easier to dig but that's about it," Hall said. "With those trench boxes in, it makes it safe to work down there."
An additional rub to the project is a 30-inch section of the pipe had a 7-foot-tall and 11-foot-wide storm pipe resting on top of it. To get around that, Hall said crews had to cut out the pipe on each side, then push the old pipe underneath it in order to push the new pipe underneath.
The work exposed other issues that will later need addressed, Hall said.
"When you have almost hundred-year infrastructure, you're going to find them," he said.
City Engineer Steve Cole called the project "quality workmanship."
"All the crews were supportive in this challenging project," he said.
During the project, city crews had to work 24/7 to keep an eye on the pump to avoid an interruption of service.
Hall estimated the project cost at $40,000 for the contractor, but costs from the overtime pay for crews has yet to be calculated.
(606) 326-2653 — henry@dailyindependent.com
