Sewer project to invade downtown

Downtown businesses and motorists soon will begin to experience inconveniences due to construction on the Sisters sewer project.

On October 13, Jack Robinson & Sons project foreman Ron Welsh said that some of the four-person crews currently working north and east of downtown are scheduled to cross into the core business area within two weeks.

Excavation and the laying of pipe are planned within and along the alley between Hood and Cascade Avenues that extends from Elm to Oak Streets. The crews will work west from Elm Street, according to Welsh, "and will attempt to produce the least amount of noise and dust to minimize impacts on business clientele."

He said the work would continue from 7 a. m. to 4 p.m., but that heavy metal plates would be deployed in the alley at the end of the work day to allow for traffic usage. He anticipated that the work in this area would be completed before Thanksgiving.

Another crew, according to Welsh, will begin a two-week job segment beginning October 19. It will start work along Cedar Avenue, continue onto Hood Avenue, and then proceed west across the south part of town.

On the north side of town later this week, he added, a four-person team is scheduled to begin work on Elm Street, proceeding north to Cascade Avenue.

Drivers along the east portion of Cascade Avenue, the main thoroughfare through Sisters, will have to exercise increased caution this week. According to Welsh, the crew that had been working the past week on Locust Street in front of Sisters Middle School will next move onto Cascade Avenue.

As a result, he said, "traffic will be reduced to one lane from October 17 through 19 (Tuesday-Thursday)."

The project's complexity, as described by Welsh, is not unlike a general's battle plan. Coordination and timing are critical amongst the seven, four-person crews.

As described by Welsh, four crews work with earth excavators (the 12-foot tall yellow machines with tank treads and large scoops) and lay the manholes, as well as the pipes that connect them.

Two other crews are responsible for installing the service lateral pipes, which extend service to the property boundaries. Finally, one testing crew examines the manholes and piping for leaks. Using pressure hoses and miniature television cameras, it scrutinizes seals, welds, and concrete work for gaps.

This first part of the project began August 21. The second part of the city sewer pipe project, installing and connecting piping from the property boundaries to businesses and residences, will go out to bid in November. The completed system should be on-line by early 2002.