Rain adds to delays on A Street

Sep 17, 2009 (McAlester News-Capital - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- ARG | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- A large water line break more than eight weeks ago still has a city road closed, causing problems for businesses in the area and for motorists.

"It's absolutely horrible," Airgas Branch Manager Wendol Rice said of work on water lines under A Street that has had the road impassible since mid-July. "Now, they have a hold dug to China out there."

Airgas is at 1 W. Choctaw Ave., right in the middle of the construction zone. A Street has been closed between Carl Albert Parkway and Chickasaw Avenue ever since an old main water line that runs under Choctaw burst on July 20, flooding the area.

"It raised the cement up to the railroad tracks," city Utility Maintenance Superintendent Tim Murray said. "Water does some amazing things at times."

He explained that about 20 feet of the large, 12-inch water line that runs under Choctaw Avenue had split. The line is made of cast iron -- a material no longer used by the city because it is susceptible to rust and deterioration -- and he believes it was installed as an original water line under Choctaw Avenue.

According to Murray, after the line split, the city replaced about 120 feet with PVC, a more durable type of pipe. But crews had to wait about two weeks for a special valve for the job. Once that was done, city street crews took over. But those repairs led at least one other problem: A small cooper service line that had served a former building burst.

"The weight and the vibration when they was compacting (the road) kinda broke it," Murray said of the line, which is south of the intersection where the original line had burst. "They jarred it lose, you might say."

The city's utility crew took over again and repaired the break with a stainless steel clamp, Murray said. That was about two weeks ago.

Utilities Director David Medley said another valve also had to be replaced on the project.

"They had put new valves in that area, but they didn't take this old valve out that was at the edge of the road," Medley said.

He said replacing the old cast iron valve, even though it wasn't leaking, hopefully will prevent crews from having to come back and make repairs in the future.

"We're starting to do that, in those locations, that when we go into any areas like that to make sure we replace anything and not leave any old piping or valving, anything that old," Medley said. "We make sure we are replacing it with new stuff so we don't have to go back out there."

Now, city road crews are waiting for a few days of dry skies to begin their portion of the job. City Engineer and Public Works Director John Modzelewski said that once the rain stops and road work begins, it will be two to three weeks before A Street is re-opened. That's because of drainage that is being replaced, as well as engineering work to make sure the street is level with the railroad tracks crossing A Street.

Also, he said the railroad is working on tracks in the area. But city and railroad officials had hoped to do their work at A Street at the same time.

Still, eight weeks is already a long time for businesses like Airgas. Rice believes he's had a 30 percent drop in customers since the road in front of his store was closed in July.

"Obviously, this has grown to be a much bigger project than when it began as a water break," Modzelewski said.

Meanwhile, the city engineer said A Street is not closed to local traffic serving businesses in those areas.

"Typically, when you close a road like this for construction, local traffic can get in so that should not be a concern," he said.

Still, motorists accessing the area should be careful. He noted that one driver tried to cross the train tracks and her car had to be moved off the tracks by railroad equipment.

"She ignored the barricades and signs and got stuck on the railroad tracks," Modzelewski said. "The railroad tracks are impassable."

Contact Kandra Wells at kwells@mcalesternews.com.

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