DPW Underway with Upgrades to 4+ Miles of Water Main

Re-lining Approach Will Reduce Disruptions; Information on Impacts Available

Burlington, VT - As part of the $8.3M Water System Improvements revenue bond approved by nearly 90 percent of the voters in November 2016, the Department of Public Works (DPW) will be continuing its work to upgrade aging water infrastructure through November and beginning again in early spring 2018. In addition to lessening unplanned disruptions to residents and businesses over time by reducing the risk of water main breaks, this project will also improve water quality and benefit public safety by increasing fire flow capacity in the project areas.

Multi-Year Water Main Capital Construction Project

Currently, 42 percent of the 110 miles of city water pipes are older than 75 years and 25 percent are older than 100 years.  This phase of DPW’s water infrastructure reinvestment project will reline 2.74 miles and replace 1.42 miles of aging water main through June 2018 in stages and is aligned with the street repaving program in order to save money and time through proactive planning and infrastructure management. Additionally, DPW considered risk factors including age of pipes, number of breaks and recent break history in determining which streets and sections of main were selected. The decision to reline the majority of aging pipes was made due to innovations in new, and tested, pipe relining technology, allowing this component of the project to be quicker, less disruptive to city life, and less expensive than traditional open dig water main replacement. New technology will also help DPW avoid interruptions to water service as its contractor carries out the relining work. Where necessary, water main sections which need increased flow capacity are being upsized to larger diameter pipe – thus necessitating the open dig replacement approach.

Care has been taken to minimize disruptions by requiring contractors to use safe traffic control measures where possible, preserving as much parking as possible and staggering the location and timing of the work to avoid major city events, including the first day of school and Labor Day weekend. In addition, proactive efforts were made to communicate with affected stakeholders ahead of time.

Water Main Relining Project Updates

Specific information regarding this aspect of the water infrastructure reinvestment project, including an up to date schedule, is available at: http://bit.ly/H2OReline2017

The next street segments to be relined this season include:

·         Pine St. between Howard St. and Lakeside Ave. (east side of street)

o    There is a newer, parallel water main which may undergo relining in 2018 after a further assessment is completed. To keep two lanes of traffic and to maintain sufficient water supply to the residents of the South End, this main cannot be relined at the same time.

·         Pine St. between Main St. and Maple St.

·         South Cove: To begin in phases (east section of South Cove and then west section)

DPW has already started relining work on the main at these street segments:

·         St. Paul St between Main St and Maple: Expected completion in mid-October

·         Austin Drive from Home Ave to Red Rocks: Expected completion in early September

·         Crescent Road: Expected completion in early September.

·         Dunder Road: Expected completion in late October

Expected Disruptions during Relining

·         Water Service  The contractor will install a temporary above ground water main and a temporary water service to homes and businesses. This water line will provide potable water and sufficient fire protection flows as they work on the pipe.

·         Obstructions in the right of way - Temporary water mains will be trenched across any areas such as roadways or driveways to avoid impact to vehicular traffic and trenches or ramps will be used to minimize pedestrian impacts.  However, vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians should use caution when traveling in the vicinity of these projects.

·         Traffic - There will be excavation of access pits along the water main route which may impact pedestrian, bicycle and automobile access. In particular, St. Paul will be closed to north bound traffic. Please observe detour and traffic control signs.  

·         Parking - Care has been taken to minimize the loss of spaces during these projects, however, there will be some temporary loss of parking along routes.

·         Streetscape Restoration - Restoration of affected curbs, streets, boulevards, sidewalks and driveways will be completed by DPW crews after the water main is put back in service. In most cases, these streets are on the street reconstruction program list and will be formally paved in 2018 to eliminate patches from this and other projects.

Specific impacts to major traffic corridors, Pine Street and St. Paul, are detailed in the project presentations at: http://bit.ly/H2OReline2017.

Water Main Replacement Projects

Specific information regarding this aspect of the water infrastructure reinvestment project, including a current schedule, is available at: http://bit.ly/OpenH2ODig

The water main segments to be replaced this year include:

·         Ethan Allen Parkway (James Ave to Lopes Ave) – Already commenced

·         Colchester Avenue (Barrett Street to Nash) - Upcoming

Maple Street, Ferguson Avenue and Latham Court mains will be replaced in Spring of 2018.

Expected Disruptions during Replacement

·         Service - While properties in these service areas will continue to be served by the old water main, periodic and short disruptions are possible. On the day individual water services are connected to the new water line, there will be a short disruption to service (~2 hours). We have asked the contractor to avoid these disruptions during meal preparation times.

·         Traffic - During contractor hours (7am-5pm), traffic will be impacted and may be shifted to one lane of traffic. Two lanes of traffic will be restored by the evening peak hour commute.

·         Parking - Care has been taken to minimize the loss of spaces during these projects, however, there may be some temporary loss of parking along some routes.

Specific impacts to major traffic corridors, Colchester Avenue (in fall 2017) and Maple Street (in spring 2018), will be detailed in the project presentations at: http://bit.ly/OpenH2ODig

Capital Projects Contact Information

For issues, questions or concerns about the overall relining/replacing project, please contact the Water Division at 802-863-4501(24/7). Non-emergency inquiries can also be submitted via email at water-resources@burlingtonvt.gov.

For those on a temporary water supply and experiencing issues please contact (24/7) Aquarehab: 802-495-6284.

For more information on DPW’s Water Resources Capital Projects, including Relining and Replacement Projects, see here: http://bit.ly/CY17WRCapital

For more information on the 10 Year Capital Plan, see here: https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/Mayor/10-Year-Capital-Plan

For additional updates on these projects and more, please follow DPW at:

@BTVDPW

facebook.com/btvdpw

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