Staunton drivers face ’10 gridlock

A $1.5-million sewer project will lead to downtown disruptions on Central Avenue in Staunton, officials said Monday.

The city announced the plans to put in a new 18-inch sewer line to replace a smaller line and to improve the health of Lewis Creek. The existing 14-inch line, installed in 1938, runs through the tunnel that carries Lewis Creek along Central Avenue.

Those plans mean businesses, residents and traffic flow will be impacted, but City Engineer James Davis said the existing line needs to be replaced, calling it “undersized and overcapacity.”

Davis said the new line, to be paid for with bond money, is the first of several projects the city will be undertake over the next several years.

“It just so happens that this one is going to cause the most disruption,” Davis said.

The old sewer line will remain, and will connect to the new line at each end of the project.

The new line will require about a 15-foot depth, though Davis said the city would know for sure in the next 45 days. Because of the new pipe’s depth, portions of Central Avenue will be closed during construction, though the new line is expected to pass under existing utilities, and city officials expect no gas, phone or power interruptions.

“We badly need this new line, but we are also well aware that it is a major project right through the middle of downtown,” City Manager Steve Owen said in a statement.

Davis said the depth will determine which kind of piping will be used.

If the line does go below 15 feet, the city will have to use a ductile iron pipe, meaning the pipe can be easily molded or shaped while retaining its durability.

If it gets placed above that mark, the city would have a choice between the ductile iron pipe and a PVC pipe.

A PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, pipe, is made of a combination of plastic and vinyl and is designed to be durable and non-rusting. It’s a piping commonly used in sewer lines.

Either piping, Davis said, should last the city more than 50 years.

Owen said the city would work to minimize disruptions while finding ways to keep the Central Avenue downtown area accessible.

Davis said that no business would be totally blocked off, but deliveries will have to be coordinated with the city and the contractor.

While the project will last six months, the work is scheduled to be done in phases, with most sections of Central Avenue being closed only three to four weeks.

The work will begin on the east side of the Wharf parking lot and run along Johnson Street to Central Avenue, then go up from there to Pump Street.

Davis said streets will be closed one block at a time, but intersections with West Beverley and Frederick streets will mean those streets will be closed also, likely for shorter durations.

The Staunton Downtown Development Association has been informed of the project, city officials said, with downtown merchants getting details from the SDDA.

A public meeting on the project will be held at 6 p.m. Sept. 21 in the council chambers of City Hall. The project is expected to be advertised for bid in November, with bids being received in December.