Work starts today on trunk line

More infrastructure work is scheduled to begin today in Farmington.

The Public Works department announced the construction of a new sewer trunk line along a portion of Karsch Boulevard will begin today.

A trunk line is defined as a sewer line receiving wastewater from many tributary branches and sewer lines, serving as an outlet for a large territory or is used to feed an intercepting sewer.

Work begins at Karsch Boulevard and St. Francois Avenue and proceeds west along the north side of Karsch to Michigan Street.

“We are building an 18 inch trunk line on the north side of Karsch from St. Francois to Michigan,” Public Works Director Larry Lacy said. “The purpose of that trunk line is to receive flow from the north side of Karsch to relieve an existing trunk line on the south side that is overloaded.”

The trunk line will go north on Michigan, then west on Pine Street. The line will then cross North Washington Street and then up Hillsboro Road to South Westwood Drive.

The project will continue past the first of the year.

“It may take six or nine months to do that piece because we may hit some rock,” he said. “It’s a pretty big project.”

The biggest impact in the short term for this project is the closing of St. Francois Avenue, which will likely be closed on Thursday and Friday. Industrial Drive is to be used as a detour during this road closure.

This is one portion of the sewer infrastructure improvements scheduled by the city for 2017. Others have included the cast-in-place pipe for the downtown sewer lines, which took place in recent weeks.

Read more about the improvements in the Aug. 3 edition of the Farmington Press.

In addition, there are upgrades scheduled for the West Sewer Treatment plant.

Farmington City Administrator Greg Beavers said the project will add sewer capacity to the current system – something the city identified and began work on about three years ago.

A gravity sewer line on Industrial Drive near Highway 32 will be replaced, as well as a new gravity sewer main in the vicinity of Engler Park – allowing for the elimination of the lift station.

“…the segment that will be done off of Industrial Drive is a lot shorter,” Lacy said. “It is just the first block off of Highway 32 on Industrial. That project will begin in about four weeks.”

Total cost for this portion of the project is about $1.8 million.

“I’m happy that we’re able to invest this money and improve our (sewer) system,” Lacy said.

Equipment sits on the north side of Karsch Boulevard in Farmington on Friday, in advance of working beginning Monday on a sewer trunk line near Harlan Estates. Work begins at St. Francois Avenue and continues to Michigan Street. The trunk line will go north on Michigan, then west on Pine Street. The line will then cross North Washington Street and then up Hillsboro Road to South Westwood Drive.

Shawnna Robinson is the managing editor of the Farmington Press and can be reached at 573-518-3628 or srobinson@farmingtonpressonline.com