PORT ANGELES — The First Street stormwater project is about a week ahead of schedule.
Jim Mahlum, city of Port Angeles civil engineer, said contractor Road Construction Northwest was expected to have to deal with soil saturated with water at the intersection of Valley and First streets. The soil turned out to be dry, allowing work crews to gain ground, he said.
The project began more than two weeks ago and will continue through June 30, with the major work expected to be done by Memorial Day (May 30).
The south lane of First Street between Valley and Oak streets is closed due to construction.
Crews are working from about 9 a.m. to about 3:30 p.m. and from about 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. They are also allowed to work Fridays and Sundays if needed.
The first segment of the pipe has been put in place between Valley and Oak streets. Crews will continue placing it under the south lane all the way up to Laurel Street.
The pipe is expected to be fully built by Memorial Day.
Afterward, both lanes of the road will be paved, bike lanes will be added and crosswalks will be replaced or added.
The project has a price tag of about $2.25 million, according to the city.
The city is contributing $225,000 for street paving, with the rest coming from the National Park Service.
The park service is covering that cost because the project is part of its Elwha River restoration effort.
The First Street project is intended to remove enough storm water from the city’s sewer system to offset the contribution of sewage from the Lower Elwha Klallam reservation.
The tribe will be connected to the city’s sewers because it’s expected that its septic tanks will become unusable as the ground water level rises as a result of the removal of the two Elwha River dams.
The park service agreed to fund a stormwater disconnect project to offset the impact on the city’s sewage overflow problem.
The sewer system is scheduled to be built by June 2012.
