On Wednesday, July 30 the Town held its monthly project meeting with State Utility Contractors to receive updates on the waterline project. Below is a summary of the status of each segment of the waterline project. Please be mindful that the Town has been providing the information it has been given by contractors, engineers, and NCDOT. This is a complex project in which field conditions can result in delays and alterations in work and schedules. Thank you for your continued patience during this once-in-a-lifetime project that has been in the works since 2007. If you have questions, please contact Town Hall at 704-436-9800.
N. Main Street
State Utility reported that the new 12-inch N. Main Street waterline between Cook Street and Hwy. 49 and up to North Drive is completely installed, pressure tested, and chlorinated. They also installed a new 6-inch line on Crestwood at the Whiteowl Antique Mall to complete a loop and improve fire flow. They are working on completing pavement restoration in these areas and have started service tie-ins. Work on tie-ins in this section will continue for the next two weeks. They are notifying individual residents as each tie-in is made, and brief service interruptions may occur as each tie-in is completed. The plan is to have N. Main Street from Cook Street to Highway 49 accessible by the third week of August.
The contractor made some adjustments to the original project schedule. State Utility informed the Town that rather than moving to Franklin Street and coming back to N. Main Street later, that they would continue to work on the southern end of N. Main Street between Cook Street to Franklin Street. This week a crew began to work southward on N. Main Street from Cook Street to Park Drive. A second crew will join them in August to speed up the completion of this section, which is planned to be completed around the end of September. The overall N. Main Street through traffic detour will remain in place.
Click here for plan detail of section of N. Main Street currently underway.
NC Hwy. 49
Crews have nearly completed the Highway 49 waterline installation between Main Street and Highway 73. A subcontractor will be boring under Highway 73 to connect to the existing 12-inch waterline at that location. Affected sidewalk will be replaced before the end of the project
Click here for plan detail of section of NC Hwy. 49 ramp at NC 73 interchange currently underway.
Empire Drive
A 2-inch waterline that was originally scheduled to begin in June is being installed on Empire Drive this week. They encountered rock, which caused delays, and necessitated blasting. The work on Empire Drive should be completed by mid-August.
E. Franklin Street
Beginning in mid-August, a crew will be working on the new 12-inch waterline on E. Franklin Street. This section of road has a wider cross section to work in and will utilize lane closures and flagging. This will cause some delays in travel on the east side of town, so please plan accordingly. Work on E. Franklin Street is currently scheduled from mid-August to mid-October.
The Square
An open cut across Highway 73 is planned for the square at Main Street. An open cut is necessary due to the complexity of the infrastructure at this location and the high cost and tight quarters for a directional bore. As crews approach this area, the contractor is going to work closely with NCDOT on timing and logistics to reduce disruption as much as possible. Every effort is being made to avoid this area during the holiday season.
Click here for plan detail of the work that will be done a the Square.
W. Franklin Street
The contractor currently has the 12-inch waterline on W. Franklin Street scheduled from September to early November. The waterline will be located along the southern shoulder of W. Franklin Street from Skyland Drive to S. Halifax Street. The waterline is located along the northern edge of pavement of W. Franklin Street from S. Halifax Street to Main Street. The original NCDOT approved encroachment allowed for lane closures and flaggers on W. Franklin St. section of the project. However, NCDOT is now requiring a detour with moving closures along portions of W. Franklin Street. The project engineers, utility contractor, and NCDOT are discussing which sections of W. Franklin Street would be required to be closed during this portion of the project. Access to businesses and residents will be maintained, while through traffic will be detoured where closure is required by NCDOT. N. Main Street will be completely reopened before any closures would occur on W. Franklin St.
Click here for plan detail of W. Franklin Street in the vicinity of Halifax Street.
If you have questions, please contact Town Hall at 704-436-9800.