This year’s high water from the Mississippi River have exacerbated some of the already inferior roads and streets in the City of Greenville.
At Tuesday’s city council meeting, the first of the 2019-2020 fiscal year, one of the pressing matters discussed was the Caldwell Drive Emergency Repair Project. Other repair projects discussed included Sisson Drive and Union Street.
City members expressed their concerns for the residents and their urgencies to resolve the issues as soon as possible.
“The residents on Caldwell Drive have been dealing with this issue so long and I’m just ready to see it completed and these residents can be totally at ease,” vice mayor Lurann Thomas said. “It’s so difficult for cars to pull out of the driveway and it’s been such an inconvenience for those residents in Ward 4, so we just want to make sure that we do this thing and do it right.”
Councilwoman Lois Hawkins asked when the project on Sisson Drive would possibly be completed because of a concerned resident who was being affected by the damage.
Darrel Martinek, P.E., of W.L. Burle Engineers, said he anticipates both the Caldwell Drive Emergency Manhole Repair Project and Sisson Drive Point Repair Project will be completed by Nov. 3. The Union Street Line was able to be repaired without any significant delays.
According to Martinek, the manhole on Caldwell Drive was replaced, but due to the excessive flooding that took place, a stop work order was issued to the contractors.
Repairs on Sisson Drive began in fall 2018, however, the excess water from flooding became far too problematic to continue repairs on the broken sewer line, and a Stop Work Order was issued.
Given that there was a finite amount of time for the contractors to have the work completed, repairs had to wait until a work order was reissued and work could be resumed.
Because of the significant weather delay, the council unanimously approved an additional 28 calendar days for the projects’ completion.
In addition to the manhole, Caldwell Drive residents and others are facing issues due to excess sand that caused sewer backup and pump station shutdowns, which will require maintenance by the city’s sanitation department.
According to Jamie Avis of Avis Construction, who began repairs on the pipes on Caldwell Drive on Monday, the current work being done is just one of many layers to an arduous repair process.
“We started Monday, and we should be done repairing the pipes today,” he said on Tuesday. “But that just fixes my problem. Somebody’s gotta come clean it, tv it, and line it and this is just one street.”
