Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Umstead Drive Closed

Joint news release by the Town of Carrboro and the Orange Water and Sewer Authority

Umstead Drive to close to through traffic for five to seven months starting on Monday, May 9th between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Umstead Park

On May 9th, Umstead Drive will close for about five to seven months between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Umstead Park during OWASA sewer replacement project.

The Town of Chapel Hill and the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) encourage drivers, cyclists and others to use alternative routes around the sewer project. The closure will affect access to Bradley Road, Pritchard Avenue Extension and other nearby streets. However, the driveway to Umstead Park will be accessible from Estes Drive Extension and the western part of Umstead Drive. OWASA's contractor will maintain access to the closed area for residents and emergency vehicles.

Please click here to see an OWASA webpage including a map showing the area of Umstead Drive to be closed, the location of the sewer installation, Umstead Park, etc.

Access to Umstead Park and its adjacent Tanyard Branch greenway trail will be affected during the construction. Parking at Umstead Park is now restricted to about 10 spaces. The youth ballfield is closed. The remainder of the park is currently open. The park will be completely closed later this summer for about two months. The date of closure will be announced.

Chapel Hill Transit routes A, N, JN (Saturday) and T (Saturday) will be detoured during the closure. Bus stops along Umstead Drive, Pritchard Avenue Extension, Longview Street and Bradley Road will be closed. For additional details, please visit here or contact Chapel Hill Transit at 919-969-4900 or chtransit@townofchapelhill.org. Additional detours and stop closings are expected as the project progresses. The detours will increase travel times for customers in the affected area. EZ Rider service will not be affected by the project.

OWASA's contractor also plans to close the intersection of Village Drive and Umstead Drive from mid-October through mid-November, 2011. This estimated timetable is subject to change due to weather and other factors.

Need to replace the sewer
The project is needed because wastewater flow in the existing sewer is approaching the pipe's capacity. If wastewater flow exceeds a pipe's capacity or is blocked, untreated wastewater would overflow from a manhole and could affect Bolin Creek. The existing sewer is also deteriorating as it ages.

"We recognize that this road closing will affect many people in the nearby neighborhoods and in the community, and we ask for everyone's understanding and patience as out contractor moves forward with this very important project. Preventing wastewater overflows in our of our highest priorities," said Stuart Carson, Engineering Manager for OWASA's capital improvement program.

Carson emphasized that the duration of the road closing to through traffic is subject to change because of weather conditions, the amount of underground rock that will need to be removed so the sewer can be installed and other factors.

Additional background information
The sewer work will include digging a trench for the new sewer; fracturing and removing rock where necessary; installing new sewer pipes in the trench; refilling the trench and restoring the work area including pavement where the trench was dug, sidewalk, soil/grass, etc. affected by the sewer installation.

The $4.85 million project will include 6,100 feet of new sewers along Umstead Drive and Bolin Creek and 2,500 feet of new water pipe in Umstead Drive. The work will:
  • Involve blasting to remove underground rock.
  • Involve noise, dust and mud.
  • Affect traffic and transit as indicated above.
  • Normally enable access to individual residences for emergency service vehicles and residents in the project area. (Access to a driveway will be limited during installation of pipes in front of the driveway.)
  • Include arrangements by the contractor so that sanitation, recycling, postal deliveries, etc. will be accomodated in the project area.
  • Include temporary planned and unplanned interruptions of utility services such as water and sewer. The contractor will inform residents in advance of planned service intteruptions.
The contractor plans to work eight hours a day between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays.

The project may be complete by late January 2012, but weather and other conditions may affect the duration of the project.

For more information:
The Town and OWASA will work together to send e-mail updates to interested citizens who sign up here and select "Chapel Hill eNews." (OWASA will also continue to send updates to customers on OWASA's ditribution list.)

OWASA (questions about the project purposes, location, contractor's activities and schedule, detour signs and related matters)
OWASA is a public, non-profit agency providing water, sewer and reclaimed water services to the
Carrboro-Chapel Hill community.

Town of Chapel Hill (questions about the impact of the project on Town services and facilities such as Chapel Hill Transit, Umstead Park, greenways, etc.)
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