Back in July, the Mount Werner Water and Sanitation District started work on phase 3 of a sewer interceptor project and recently passed the 70% completion mark. 

“The project has hit a milestone and the light is at the end of the tunnel, or PVC pipe so to say,” said Frank Alfone, the Mount Werner Water and Sanitation District’s general manager, in a press release. 

Native Excavating installed 2,265 linear feet of 24-inch sewer pipe and eight manholes this year alone. Excluding lateral connections, about 71% of the main sewer line is complete and the crews are about one week ahead of schedule. 

Crews will install service connections into the new sewer main while abandoning the existing main, then they’ll test and inspect the new manhole connections and sewer main. 

Then, the private irrigation systems that were impacted by the construction will be repaired or replaced, such as the systems at City Market Fuel and The Village at Steamboat. 

Over the next 30 days, the project will turn east and cross the southernmost driveway at the Village at Steamboat building. Then crews will continue work across and under Pine Grove Road and into Ski Town Park, which Native Excavating won’t enter until around Oct. 3, but no sooner than Oct. 1 to reduce impacts to sports activities. 

Construction will be limited to the far north side of the park, which will be enclosed by a construction fence. The project will end near the southeast corner of the Tennis Bubble at the Steamboat Springs Tennis and Pickleball Center. Crews expect to finish around Oct. 28, and new sod will be installed in disturbed areas of Ski Town Park next spring.

The third phase of the project cost around $4.5 million and was funded in part with a Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority loan. 

Elsewhere, starting this past week, culverts in four areas of town are being rehabilitated as part of a separate project seeking to upgrade critical water infrastructure. 

“There should be little impacts to roadways during this important project,” commented Public Works Engineer Bjorn Utu. “However, in these four locations, folks will see shoulder and bike lane closures during the work.”

The culverts being updated include four at Central Park Drive, two at Pine Grove Road, one at Clubhouse Drive and one on Natches Way. 

Crews will use a trenchless approach with form-fitting PVC pipes to minimize disturbing the adjacent roadways. Essentially, the new pipeline is placed within the existing pipe and forms within, and although the new pipe is smaller in diameter than the previous, crews are using a smooth PVC pipe, which increases its ability to transport water, instead of the rough corrugated existing pipes. 

“Even though you pass by these culverts every day, it’s easy to forget how important they are, and the role played in transferring water safely and efficiently,” continued Utu. “We appreciate everyone’s patience during the project and again, I don’t believe there will be significant impacts to traffic.”

To reach Spencer Powell, call 970-871-4229 or email him at spowell@SteamboatPilot.com

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