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Replacement of water lines in parts of Dobbins Drive, Sage Road, and Eastowne Drive

Update April 2, 2012

Our contractor (Moffat Pipe Inc.) is currently replacing our water pipes in part of Dobbins Drive (the service road on the north side of Fordham Boulevard), Sage Road, and in Eastowrne Drive as shown on the map below.  Our water line serving cutomers in this area is aging and neds to be replaced due to its condition.  Also, we will install larger pipes in most areas (16 inches in diameter, compared to 12 inches for the present line) so that we will be better able to meet future service needs, including fire protection.

 

 

Updated Timetable (April 2):  The project is expected to be complete this coming summer.  The new water main installation will take place according to the general timeline below.  Exact dates of work are subject to change, and we will let you know of any significant changes to this timeline.

Sage Road / Fordham Blvd intersection:      Ongoing through May

Dobbins Drive, west of Sage Rd:                  April through mid-May

Dobbins Dr, from Sage Rd to Eastowne Dr   mid-April through May

Dobbins Drive at Eastowne Dr:                     May

Paving and other general restoration work:   June

Interruptions of Service:  After all of the new water main has been installed and tested, water service will be interrupted for some customers near the project area when MPI connects the new main to our existing system and services.  This is currently expected to take place in May.  MPI will notify all potentially affected customers in advance of any planned service outage.

What the work will involve: Our contractor (Moffat Pipe, Inc.) will

  • dig into the road pavement and/or road shoulder in the areas shown above,
  • install new pipes to carry water from the larger main to our meters, and
  • restore the work area where we have affected the pavement, road shoulder, curb and gutter, etc.

How the work may affect you:

  • Where pipe installation work is underway at most locations, traffic will be slowed down and one or more vehicle lanes may be closed. However, in most locations we will keep at least one lane open for emergency and service vehicles, residents, customers, employees, etc. whenever possible.
  • Work in certain parts of Eastowne Drive will require closing one direction of travel along Eastowne Drive. Detour signs will be posted.
  • We do not plan to limit access to any driveways along Dobbins Drive. However, if driveway access is affected by our work, we will provide advance notice to residents and businesses who will be affected.
  • The project will involve noise, dust and mud. However, we will require our contractor to comply with the Town of Chapel Hill’s noise ordinance.
  • The normal work hours and days will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.
  • There will be some interruptions of OWASA water service during our project when we connect new water pipes to our existing pipes and when we connect new pipes to the meters serving residences and businesses along the new water line.
  • We will give advance notice of planned service interruptions. 
  • When there are unplanned interruptions of service, we will work with the affected utilities to restore service as soon as possible. (We encourage you to share your e-mail address with us so that we can give you notices electronically for speed and to avoid the costs of paper mailings—please see additional information below.)
  • The road areas where we will install new pipes will initially be rougher and may have bumps until we install the final layer of asphalt. However, please be aware that in order to limit costs, we do not resurface the full width of the street.

We welcome your questions and comments. Please feel free to contact Mr. Vishnu Gangadharan, P.E., Project Manager, at 537-4248 or vgangadharan@owasa.org  whenever you have questions, concerns, or comments.  You are also welcome to contact our on-site inspector, Robby McGee with Hazen and Sawyer, at 252-723-9028 to address any immediate concerns.

Updates: We will be glad to send you updates on request. Please send an e-mail to vgangadharan@owasa.org to get on our notice list.

If you have tenants in our project area: Please ask them to contact us, or send us their names and addresses (e-mail addresses, if you have permission to share them) and we will be glad to send them updates on our work.