Pioneer Way Water Main Reconstruction

JUNE 23 UPDATE

2008-06-23T17:19:00.000-07:00

Street Department staff Keith Jameson (center) and Stan Grovdahl (right) finish reconstruction of sidewalk and a curb ramp at Hathaway Street this morning.

The last tasks associated with replacing the water main in Pioneer Way were completed today. A sidewalk ramp was reconstructed at the intersection with Hathaway Street and a tree stump removed from the sidewalk between Dock and Ely streets. No more construction equipment in the street, construction noise, steel plates or traffic control, we are done!

The Water Main Replacement project was a good success. The new main is fully installed, tested and in service providing reliable water service and fire protection to customers along Pioneer Way. The project was also completed 10-days early and within budget.

A variety of problems did occur during the course of the work. The most serious was breaking a large natural gas service during the second day of pipe installation. Fortunately, this did not result in a fire or injuries. There were also problems with the old, corroded and fragile main and water service lines springing leaks when exposed during construction. The leaks forced us to repeatedly interrupt water service to some of our customers without prior warning. After all of the water main pipe was in place, pressure testing revealed that there was a manufacturing defect in the fittings used to connect customer services to the new main. The fitting manufacturer and supplier accepted responsibility and replaced the fittings at no cost to the City. All of these problems required additional time, effort, materials and work to correct and a good measure of patience and perseverance from our customers.

The success of this project was the result of a dedicated team effort from Interwest Construction, Inc., City staff and our customers and citizens. Interwest Construction was outstanding. They were dedicated and hard working, organized, communicative, responsive, capable and conscientious. Water Department staff demonstrated their commitment to total customer service, notifying customers of upcoming service interruptions and construction activities, answering questions, assisting Interwest Construction with leak repairs, and providing temporary water service connections at all hours of the day or night whenever needed. Most appreciated are the support, cooperation and perseverance of our customers along Pioneer Way. We are well aware of the disruptions to business and daily life when the street is full of noisy construction equipment all day and day after day, detours and parking restrictions which constantly change and then the water gets shut off too. Despite these challenging and changing conditions, the comments to City staff and the Interwest Construction crew were almost entirely positive. The Interwest Construction crew and City staff are extremely appreciative of this, it helped us stay focused on solving the problems that did occur and on getting job done and done right.

This is the last posting to the Pioneer Water Main Replacement blog. The purpose of this blog was to provide project information that is useful to those affected by or interested in the project. It was loosely modeled on a weather report in that most updates included a description of the day’s activities and what was to be expected in the next day or two. As I intend to continue using internet blogs as a communication tool on future projects, I am very interested in any critiques of this blog. Was the information presented useful? Was it clear? Too brief or too detailed? What can be done to make it more useful? Please feel free to email or call.

Arnie Peterschmidt

JUNE 20 UPDATE

2008-06-20T17:08:00.000-07:00

The temporary metal sidewalk ramp will be replaced by a new concrete ramp Monday.

There is one construction task remaining related to the Pioneer Way Water Main Replacement Project, reconstruction of the sidewalk ramp at the intersection of Pioneer Way and Hathaway Street. City forces will begin this work Monday morning June 23. Expect some orange cones and parking restrictions near the work site. There may be some brief, temporary lane closures to allow equipment to manouver into the work area.

Enjoy the weekend.

Arnie Peterschmidt

JUNE 16 UPDATE

2008-06-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

Repainting a crosswalk on Pioneer Way

Repainting the parking spaces and cross walks on the north side of Pioneer Way is being finished as this post is written. This is the last task to be done under the Contract with Interwest Construction. This will bring to an end to the large scale disruptions to traffic and parking in the project area. No more excavators, dump trucks, loaders compacting equipment, flaggers, and barricades.

City forces will be doing some follow-on work on Pioneer Way in the next week or two. The most significant is reconstruction of the sidewalk ramp at the Hathaway intersection.

Arnie Peterschmidt

JUNE 13 UPDATE

2008-06-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

High velocity flushing of the new main to remove any debris that may remain in the pipe.

Wet weather has delayed repainting the parking spaces and crosswalks until Monday. Interwest Construction will move the barrels off the sidewalks this morning, travel and parking will be unrestricted over the weekend.

Expect traffic control to be put in place by 7:00 am Monday morning June 16 as previously planned unless the weather is wet again.

Arnie Peterschmidt

JUNE 12 UPDATE

2008-06-12T16:55:00.000-07:00

Interwest Construction cleaning the street and storm drains this afternoon.

The Pioneer Way Water Main Replacement project is nearing completion. The only remaining significant task to be done by Interwest Construction is repainting the parking spaces and cross walks on the north side of Pioneer Way in the project area. Painting is scheduled for tomorrow. With a little luck the weather will be dry enough to begin painting early in the morning and the paint will be finished and dry by mid-day.

Expect traffic control to begin at 6:30 tomorrow morning effecting the west-bound lane of Pioneer Way between Midway Blvd. and Ely Street. There will be no parking on the north(west-bound) side of Pioneer Way until the painting is completed and dry. Side streets will be closed for the time that it takes to paint each crosswalk and for the paint to dry. Traffic control will be removed just as soon as the paint has dried.

Please contact me if there are any questions or concerns.

Arnie Peterschmidt

JUNE 11 UPDATE

2008-06-11T15:58:00.000-07:00

Pavement and sidewalk repairs were completed today, we are very close to completion of the water main project. The remaining work to be done on the street is painting the parking spaces and crosswalks in the project area. Painting is scheduled for Friday, June 13.

Traffic control for painting will be the same as it was for paving. Pioneer Way will be one-way east only from approximately 6:30 am until the paint has dried, probably in the afternoon. The side street intersections will also be closed. Pioneer Way will be open without restriction Friday evening and throughout the weekend.

The only work in the street scheduled for tomorrow will be at the Midway Blvd. intersection. We will be flushing the new main with high flows and will close the right turn land from west-bound Pioneer to north-bound Midway Blvd for an hour between 9:00 am and noon.

Arnie Peterschmidt

JUNE 10 UPDATE

2008-06-10T15:56:00.000-07:00

Interwest Construction finishing preparations for paving near Midway Blvd.

Preparations for paving continued today between Hathaway and Midway Blvd. Paving is scheduled for tomorrow. Travel on Pioneer Way is restricted to one-way east-bound travel and will remain so until paving is completed tomorrow afternoon.

Expect paving operations to begin first thing tomorrow morning. Side streets will be closed at the intersections with Pioneer Way while the pavement is placed and for the time it takes the asphalt to cool.

Sidewalk repairs are scheduled for Thursday, June 12. There are a number of locations where portions of the sidewalks have been removed for installation of new fire hydrants and water meter boxes. Expect some traffic control on Pioneer Way make room for trucks and equipment at the sidewalk repair locations. Pedestrians will also need to detour around work areas.

Arnie Peterschmidt

JUNE 9 UPDATE

2008-06-09T21:28:00.000-07:00

Drivers west-bound on Pioneer at the Midway Blvd. intersection will need to choose an alternate route until Wednesday evening.

Preparations for repairing asphalt over the water main trench started in ernest today. The soft lumpy "cold patch" asphalt placed over the trench as a temporary repair is being removed along with cracked and damaged pavement along side the trench. Sand and gravel are then placed and compacted in the repair area followed by paving with standard "hot-mix" asphalt.

Preparations for the permanent repair require that the west-bound lane of Pioneer Way be closed. Pioneer Way between Ely Street and Midway Blvd. is one-way east bound until paving is completed on Wednesday June 11. The lane restriction is marked with signs, barricades and a long row of orange barrels. The lane markers will have flashing lights during the night. Please abide by the lane and parking restrictions as driving over the prepared areas will cause damage unless there are steel plates over the trench area. The side street intersections are also affected and some restricted, please see the June 5 post to this blog for details of the side street closures. Paving is expected to take all day Wednesday.

Work began at the west end of the project area at Ely Street today and progressed east. Work will resume tomorrow morning in the middle of the Old Town and proceed toward Midway Blvd.

Arnie Peterschmidt

JUNE 6 UPDATE

2008-06-06T16:30:00.000-07:00

There were no construction activities on Pioneer Way today. Street repair work will resume on Monday morning as described in the June 5 Update.

There will be one more brief water service interruption on Monday morning on Pioneer Way between Dock and Ely streets. The interruption will occur between 7:00 am and 9:00 am and is expected to be about 45 minutes. We realized this afternoon that a fitting change is needed in this area. Our apologies for this oversight and inconvenience. Please contact me if there are questions or concerns regarding this interruption.

Arnie Peterschmidt

JUNE 5 UPDATE

2008-06-05T16:38:00.001-07:00

Repair of the north lane (west-bound) of Pioneer Way will begin on Monday

Interwest Construction, Inc. is planning to make pavement repairs to Pioneer Way for three days beginning on Monday June 9th. Preparations and paving will require closing the west-bound lane of Pioneer Way between Midway Blvd. and Ely Street for the duration of the repair work. During this time Pioneer Way will be one-way east bound only. The lane restriction will also affect side streets in the project area.

Vehicle traffic changes during street repairs are as follows:

West-bound traffic on Pioneer Way arriving at the Midway Blvd intersection must detour to either Bayshore Drive or to Midway Blvd.
Vehicles will be restricted from turning right from south-bound Midway Blvd. to Pioneer Way.
SE Jensen Street will be closed at the Pioneer Way intersection.
Ilwaco Alley will be closed at Pioneer Way except for local access.
SE Ireland Street will be closed at Pioneer Way.
Hathaway Street will be closed at Pioneer Way.
Dock Street will be restricted to one-way south between Pioneer Way and Bayshore Drive.
No right turns from south-bound Dock Street onto Pioneer Way.
On-street parking on the north side of Pioneer Way between Midway Blvd. and Ely Street will not be available.
On-street parking along the south side of Pioneer Way will be restricted while Interwest Construction is working.

Sidewalks on Pioneer Way through the project area will remain open. Businesses along Pioneer Way will be open as usual. Public parking in the downtown will be available along Bayshore Drive, side streets and the public parking lots.

The main connections at Ely and Jensen streets were completed over night. Fire Hydrant installation and saw-cutting of the repair area were finished today. There is no work in the street scheduled for tomorrow (Friday).

Paving is weather dependent. Wet weather could delay the street repair. Any changes to the schedule will be posted on this site as soon as they are known. Please contact me if there are any questions or concerns regarding pavement repairs.

Arnie Peterschmidt

JUNE 4 UPDATE

2008-06-04T16:59:00.000-07:00

New fire hydrant in front of the Old Town Mall.

Installation of new fire hydrants began today. Three old fire hydrants are being replaced and 2 additional hydrants added to improve fire protection coverage along Pioneer Way.

Main connections near Ely Street and on Jensen Street will be done this evening. Expect water service to be interrupted between 8:00 pm and 1:00 am on Pioneer Way between Dock and Ely streets and also on Jensen Street. Please contact or me (914-7404) or the Water Department Duty Staff (914-7246) with any questions or concerns regarding service interruptions this evening. These are the last of the service interruptions needed for this project.

Thursday and Friday will see the remaining fire hydrants installed and the beginning of preparations for permanent street repairs. The first step in the street repair process is saw-cutting the asphalt to provide a clean strong asphalt edge for the repair asphalt to join. After saw-cutting is completed the old asphalt within the cuts will be removed and the repair area will be compacted and graded in preparation for paving. It will be necessary to close the west-bound lane of Pioneer Way and restrict traffic to one-way east-bound once the grading and compaction begins. The west-bound lane will remain closed until paving is completed. We expect preparation and paving to be completed in 3 days.

Arnie Peterschmidt

JUNE 3 UPDATE

2008-06-03T17:52:00.001-07:00

Maneuvering the new main (black pipe) into alignment with the existing main (blue pipe) at the Ireland Street connection.

The connections between the new Pioneer Way main and side street mains were made at Ireland and Dock streets today. Steady rain made the work at Dock Street more difficult and slowed progress some but the connection was made and water service returned to normal.

Daytime work tomorrow will center on installing new fire hydrants on Pioneer Way. There will be men and equipment in the street and traffic control similar to the past two days. Work will continue into the night tomorrow (Wednesday) night with the main connections near Ely Street and on Jensen Street. Expect water service to be interrupted between 8:00 pm and 1:00 am on Pioneer Way between Dock and Ely streets and also on Jensen Street. These are the last of the service interruptions for this project. Please contact Rhonda Haines (279-4533) or me with any questions or concerns regarding service interruptions.

Thursday and Friday will see more fire hydrants installed and the beginning of preparations for permanent street repairs. The first step in the street repair process is saw-cutting the asphalt to provide a clean strong asphalt edge for the repair asphalt to join. After saw-cutting is completed the old asphalt within the cuts will be removed and the repair area will be compacted and graded in preparation for paving. It will be necessary to close the west-bound lane of Pioneer Way and restrict traffic to one-way east-bound once the grading and compaction begins. The west-bound lane will remain closed until paving is completed. We expect preparation and paving to be completed in 3 days.

Arnie Peterschmidt

JUNE 2 UPDATE

2008-06-02T17:09:00.001-07:00

Interwest Construction working to switch customers from the old to the new water main near Ely Street.

Switching customer services from the old main to the new continued today as planned. All customers will be switched to the new main by the close of work today.

There have been some schedule changes for the connections between the new main and the existing system since the previous blog post. We had planned to connect the west (Ely Street) end of the new main tomorrow; this connection is rescheduled for Wednesday night along with the Jensen Street connection. Making the connenections requires that the mains be shut off. Expect water service to be interrupted between 8:00 pm and 1:00 am on Pioneer Way between Dock and Ely streets and also on Jensen Street. Please contact Rhonda Haines (279-4533) or me with any questions or concerns regarding service interruptions.

The Dock Street connection has been rescheduled for tomorrow, one day earlier than previously planned. This work requires the Dock street main to be shut off while the connections are being made. City Water Department staff will install temporary “jumper” connections to water-dependent businesses (restaurants and hair salons) along Dock Street before the Dock Street main is shut off. The temporary connections allow water service to continue but volume available to the customer is less than normal. Expect to see hoses in the street and on the sidewalks around the intersection of Fidalgo and Dock streets tomorrow.

The Ireland Street connection is planned for tomorrow too. Customers along Ireland Street (including City Hall) should expect service to be interrupted between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm.

Expect traffic control at the Dock and Ireland streets intersections tomorrow (Tuesday) beginning at 6:30 am and continuing most of the day.

Arnie Peterschmidt

MAY 30 UPDATE

2008-05-30T16:29:00.000-07:00

Interwest Construction switching services from the old to the new main.

Switching customer services from the old to the new main continued today. Most of the work took place between Hathaway and Dock streets. Work progressed smoothly, all customers between Midway Blvd. and Dock Street are now being served by the new main.

Switching customer services will continue on Monday between Dock and Ely streets. Expect traffic control to begin at 6:30 am Monday morning from Dock to Ely.

Interwest Construction is planning to connect the new main to the existing system at Ely and Ireland streets on Tuesday. It will be necessary to interrupt water service to customers on Pioneer Way between Dock and Ely streets and on Ireland Street for 2 to 4 hours while these connections are being made. The service interruptions are expected to begin mid-morning. Customers with concerns about the service interruptions should contact me or Rhonda Haines (279-4533). Please contact Rhonda or me with questions or concerns regarding service interruption.

Connecting the new main at Dock Street is planned for Wednesday. It will be necessary to interrupt water service to Dock Street customers for 2 to 4 hours while this connection is made.

The final connection of the new main at Jensen Street is scheduled for Thursday night. As with the other main connections service interruption of 2 to 4 hours is anticipated. Service will not be interrupted before 8:00 pm on Thursday, June 5. Again, please contact Rhonda or me with questions or concerns regarding service interruption.

Enjoy the weekend.

Arnie Peterschmidt

MAY 29 UPDATE

2008-05-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

Interwest Construction preparing to connect the new main (black) to the exsiting main (blue) at the Midway intersection.

The new main is connected to the City water distribution system at Midway Blvd and work has begun switching customer services from the old to the new.

The process of switching customer services may take more time than anticipated. We are finding that some existing services include sections of lead pipe. We have elected to replace the lead pipe as a precaution.

As previously mentioned switching customer services will require brief water service interruptions, about 15 to 30 minutes in most cases. City Water Department Staff are assisting customers by removing service meters while services are being switched, flushing the new service after connection to the new main is made and then restoring water service. This is done to prevent sediment and/or discolored water from reaching customers and minimize the chances of a pressure surge to the customers plumbing fixtures when service is restored.

Please contact Rhonda Haines (279-4533) or me if you are concerned with water service interruptions.

Expect traffic control to begin near intersection of Ireland Street and Pioneer Way early tomorrow morning. There will be 3 work crews exposing water services and reconnecting customers so expect a significant amount of activity in the street on Friday. Switching services is expected to continue through Monday.

Connecting the new main to the existing system and switching customer services was originally planned to take place at night. Most of this work is now occurring during the day. This change was made for several reasons. During the course of the project we have encountered many features and conditions that were unknown before excavation began. It is often necessary to make adjustments and changes as unexpected conditions are encountered. These changes are much more efficiently accomplished during the day when critical people and construction materials are available. Daytime work has contributed significantly to the good progress that has been made to date. Interwest Construction has been a good partner in this project. They are aware of the impacts of their work on the Community, communicate well with City staff and have been responsive to our needs. Their responsiveness and good work has allowed daytime work with less negative impact to the Community than was anticipated before work began. Daytime work hours provide the most efficient, expeditious path to project completion which, in turn, minimizes the impacts of construction on our Community.

Arnie Peterschmidt

MAY 28 UPDATE

2008-05-28T17:23:00.000-07:00

The Midway - Pioneer intersection where work will begin tomorrow morning.

The new main has passed the bacteriological test and is ready to be connected to the City water distribution system. Interwest Construction will first connect the new main at the intersection of Pioneer Way and Midway Blvd. tomorrow morning. The new main will be in service when this connection is made and work will shift to switching customers from the old main to the new main.

Switching customer services will require brief water service interruptions to each customer, about 15 to 30 minutes in most cases. Switching services will generally proceed from east to west. We are working with our customers and Interwest Construction to minimize the impacts of service interruptions. Please contact Rhonda Haines (279-4533) or me if you are concerned with service interruptions and have not already spoken with us this week. Hoses will be used for temporary connections if there are problems with old services failing as there were a couple of weeks ago.

Expect traffic control to begin at the intersection of Midway and Pioneer early tomorrow morning. There will be 3 work crews exposing water services and reconnecting customers so expect a significant amount of activity in the street on Thursday. Switching services is expected to continue on Friday.

Arnie Peterschmidt

May 27 UPDATE

2008-05-27T17:01:00.000-07:00

Resident Inspector Jack Smith checking the temporary connection used to flush water through the new main prior to bacteriological testing.

The new Pioneer Way water main was flushed this morning and water samples taken for bacteriological testing. The bacteriological test process takes more than a day to complete so results will not be available until Wednesday afternoon.

We are expect the tests will confirm that the disinfection process was successful and Interwest Construction will begin connecting the new main to the City water distribution system Thursday morning. The first connection will be at the intersection of Midway Blvd. and Pioneer Way. Once this connection is made, the new main will be in service and Interwest will begin switching customer services from the old main to the new.

Switching services from the old to the new will require that water service be interrupted. These interruptions are expected to be brief, 15 to 30 minutes, in most cases however some of the old galvanized iron service lines are in very poor condition and it may not be possible to simply reconnect. We will provide at least 24 hours prior notice of planned service interruptions to each customer and will do our best to coordinate with our customers to minimize impacts to them.

Expect Wednesday to be quiet. We do have planned work in the street tomorrow. Please continue to drive and walk cautiously in the construction area. The street surface is uneven and there are dozens of steel plates in the street. The steel plates are very slick when wet and have a lip all the way around. There is also a small section of the sidewalk between Hathaway and Dock streets that has been dug up. The work area is marked with orange cones and covered with plywood and a large doormat. Please watch your step in this area. The sidewalk will remain in this condition through this week.

Please feel free to contact me with questions or concerns regarding this project.

Arnie Peterschmidt

MAY 23 UPDATE

2008-05-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

The new Pioneer Way water main has passed the pressure test. All of the defective saddle fittings were successfully replaced and the project will be moving forward on Tuesday.

The chlorine solution in the new main will be flushed out on Tuesday morning. After flushing, water samples will be taken for bacteriological testing to confirm that the disinfection procedure was effective. The test results will not be available until Thursday. As soon as satisfactory test results are obtained, Interwest Construction will begin to connect the new main to the City distribution system. The general plan is to connect the new main at Midway Blvd. first and charge the line, then switch customer services from the old to the new followed by the side street connections and the end connection at Ely Street.

Expect traffic control on Tuesday morning as there will be some men and equipment in the street for flushing and sampling. Wednesday should be a quiet day with little or no work as we wait for the bacteriological test results. Thursday and Friday will be busier days as men and equipment work to connect the new main and switch over customer services.

Enjoy the weekend.

Arnie Peterschmidt

MAY 21 UPDATE

2008-05-21T13:43:00.000-07:00

Holes excavated along the new main for replacement of defective fittings.

Replacement of defective service saddles on the new main is in progress today. It appears now that this work will continue into Thursday. As of 1:00 pm this afternoon 11 defective saddles have been replaced.

Expect activities in the street tomorrow to be similar to today.

Arnie Peterschmidt

MAY 20 UPDATE

2008-05-20T16:54:00.000-07:00

A defective service saddle on the new Pioneer Way main

The Pioneer Way Water Main Replacement project has encountered its second significant problem. The new main has not been able to pass a pressure test; the main gradually looses pressure when tested. According to Interwest Construction, some of the service saddles (pipe fittings used to connect individual customer services to the main) have a manufacturing defect that prevents them from sealing properly. The supplier and manufacturer of the service saddles are working to resolve the problem and replace the defective saddles. Interwest Construction will uncover all of the saddles tomorrow to inspect and replace those that are defective. This work is being done at no additional cost to the City.

The leaking service saddles have caused a one-day delay to date and it is expected to take one or two more days to replace those that are defective and re-test the main. The project remains ahead of schedule despite these delays.

Expect Interwest Construction to be on site with traffic control starting about 6:30am Wednesday morning. A vactor truck (a huge wet-dry vacuum cleaner mounted on a truck) will be used to expose service saddles. Two-way traffic is expected most of the time with lanes shifted to the south side of Pioneer Way.

Arnie Peterschmidt

MAY 19 UPDATE

2008-05-19T16:18:00.000-07:00

Interwest Construction installing a new sewer service near Ireland Street. The yellow pipe is a natural gas main.

Testing of the new water main began this morning. The disinfection procedure for the pipe was checked by City staff this morning and found to be acceptable. Pressure testing also began this morning. The pressure test is simple but demanding. The new main and fittings are subjected to 250 PSI pressure and must hold with virtually no pressure loss. A gradual loss of pressure was occurring on the first attempt. A defective service saddle was subsequently found and will be replaced before repeating the pressure test tomorrow morning.

Other activities today included correcting a poorly configured sewer service near Ireland Street.

Expect Interwest Construction to be on site with traffic control starting about 6:00am Tuesday morning. Pressure testing will resume. When the pressure test is passed, the new main will be flushed with clean water and water samples will be collected and tested for the presence of bacteria. The new main will be ready for service upon receipt of “satisfactory” bacteriological tests. Bacteriological tests are “satisfactory” when bacteria are not detected.

Arnie Peterschmidt

MAY 16 UPDATE

2008-05-16T17:29:00.001-07:00

One of the last sections of water main pipe going into the trench.

The last length of water main pipe was installed this afternoon near the Ely Street intersection. The new main is filled with chlorinated water and will “soak” over the weekend. We are planning to pressure test the new pipe on Monday morning.

Expect Interwest Construction to be on site with traffic control starting at 6:00am Monday morning.

Arnie Peterschmidt

MAY 15 UPDATE

2008-05-15T16:54:00.000-07:00

Water main installation in the Dock to Ely block.

Work resumed on the water main installation today. Approximately 140 feet of pipe was installed in the block between Dock and Ely streets. Interwest Construction anticipates that, if all goes well tomorrow, all of the water main pipe will be in place except for short segments connecting the new main with the existing system.

The next steps in the project are filling the pipe with water and testing it. The pipe will be filled with chlorinated water intended to disinfect the pipe before it is put into service. The chlorine solution will be tested for adequate strength when the pipe is filled and again before the chlorine is flushed out. While the chlorine solution is in the pipe, a pressure test will be conducted to confirm that the pipes and fittings are properly assembled and water tight. After the disinfection process is competed and the chlorine flushed out, water samples from the pipe will be collected and sent to an independent laboratory to be tested for the presence of bacteria. This is done to confirm that the disinfection process was effective.

The activities involved in filling and testing the new main will not be as disruptive as the installation work. Lanes will be shifted at one or two locations when testing work is occurring but 2-way traffic movement is expected. It may be necessary to close a block or intersection for about an hour while flushing the chlorinated water from the pipe as this will require a large hose across the street. Date, time and location for this activity will be posted here on this blog when known.

Arnie Peteschmidt

May 14 MORNING UPDATE

2008-05-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

Interwest Construction elected not work on the water main today due to the wet weather. The existing drainage system funnels storm water into the trench excavated for the water main installation. The storm water in the trench becomes muddy and thus can not be released to the storm drainage system and the Bay.

Interwest Construction will be coming to the site later this morning to move their heavy equipment off of Pioneer Way to free up travel and parking.

Arnie Peterschmidt

MAY 13 UPDATE

2008-05-13T17:09:00.000-07:00

Heavy equipment parked on Pioneer waiting for dryer weather

Water pipe installation was halted late this morning by wet weather. The trench was filling with storm water as the rainfall increased to the point that it was interfering with progress. Approximately 80 feet of pipe was installed. Work will resume as usual tomorrow morning weather permitting.

Please be cautious driving or walking on wet steel plates, wet plates are very slick!

Arnie Peterschmidt