Residents Learn More About Sewer Project on Riverview Road

The sanitary sewer project on Riverview Road is set to begin next week. 

The city held a pre-construction meeting for residents Monday night, where City Engineer Gerald Wise and council member Mike Harwood discussed the details of the project and answered questions from the community. 

The project will install a sewer line along the east side of Riverview Road, Wise said before the meeting. , residents were told that the project was necessary to meet Environmental Protection Agency requirements. The residents will have to pay to connect their homes to the sewer line once the project is complete, as well as paying for part of the overall construction.

Most of the questions asked by residents during the meeting related to the tie-ins, or the connections to the sewer line. The location of the tie-ins has already been marked on each property, and residents have until July 15 to turn in a form to the city to request a different location.  

There were also a few questions about the cost. Wise told residents that if their tie-in is in the front of their home, close to the house, and if there is no plumbing work needed inside, they would be able to keep their costs down. Council President Larry J. Potla said that residents could also lower costs by using the same contractor as their neighbors.

And Wise said that the city has put money toward the project, applied for grants “and we’ve pretty much done everything we can at this point.”

The bid for the project—about $950,000 from Snavely Excavating—came in lower than the original estimate, so residents might see lower costs on the construction. But Potla noted after the meeting that the final cost of the project could be different from the bid.

The project will likely begin on the Preston Village side, Wise said, and move down the street toward Chippewa Road. During construction, Riverview Road will only be open to local traffic and closed to everyone else from Chippewa Road to Preston Village Drive. For local drivers, the southbound lane will be open during construction, but the northbound lane will be closed and used to hold piles of dirt and to park equipment. Emergency vehicles and school buses will be considered local traffic and allowed on the road, Wise said. 

The construction is expected to last throughout the summer; Wise said before the meeting that the company is projecting a finish date in October, but that final restoration of the property along the street could stretch into next spring.

Clearing is scheduled to begin on July 6, sewer installation is scheduled to start July 29, and installation of the 56 sewer connections is scheduled to begin in September. All dates in the project could change, though.

Residents, especially along the east side of the road, may have their driveways dug up, Wise said during the meeting. While the construction is crossing the driveway, residents will have to stay off – maybe for about half a day, Wise said. The company will backfill the driveway with aggregate, allowing residents back on their driveways almost immediately. After construction, driveways will be repaired. 

The area in the right of way in front of people’s homes will also be disturbed during construction, and trees may be removed. 

Mayor Jerry N. Hruby told residents to not hesitate to call the city if they have concerns during construction.  

“We’re there to represent you on that job,” he told the audience.