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Gene Hampton, left, and Dan Doyle work on a section of water main along Main Street Thursday. (Ben Kleppinger / ben@theinteriorjournal.com / November 2, 2012) |
STANFORD — Replacement of an unreliable water main in downtown Stanford has been completed, paving the way for state road crews to finish the last piece of the Main Street resurfacing project.
A section of a water main underneath the far west end of West Main Street ruptured five times within a week in August, prompting city officials to halt a portion of the state's Main Street resurfacing project while the main was replaced.
Mayor Bill miracle said in mid-August that workers were expected to begin replacement of the main within one to two weeks and the project would then take about 30-45 days to complete.
But replacing the main wasn't as simple as officials had hoped. Workers ran into more than 30 tie-ons that had to be redone, as well as numerous other obstacles like underground cables, Stanford Water Commission Chairman Jack Withrow told Stanford city council members Nov. 1.
Withrow said the whole project has been "aggravating" and the contractor hasn't moved as quickly as he had hoped.
"Thank goodness we're winding this thing down. We're just as disgusted as you all are with the way it's gone," Withrow told city council members. "We think sometimes (the contractor) has drug his feet and hasn't worked when he should have."
Miracle confirmed Tuesday that state road crews could begin resurfacing the unfinished stretch of Main Street — from Somerset Street to the intersection with Ky. 78 — at the end of this week or the beginning of next week.
"The water main is all tied in and hooked up and going," he said Tuesday. "They're cleaning up today and finishing concrete work over top of the lines."
With winter getting close, the window for paving is closing, but Miracle said the Allen Company, which is conducting the resurfacing, has told him there's enough time left to squeeze the last bit of resurfacing in.
"I know it's been aggravating for everybody," Miracle said. "But I think once it's all done, it'll be good and I thank everybody for being patient."
Miracle said the water main replacement contract was bid out to Glasgow-based Ken Ford Construction at a cost of $125,000. There have been no change orders, meaning no change in cost, he added.
The deadline for completion of the project was Nov. 1. Miracle said Nov. 1 he doesn't expect there to be anything "held against" the contractor for missing the deadline by a day or two, especially since he ran into some extra problems under the street.
The Water Department is paying for the replacement up front for the time-being, but could recoup the cost if funding comes through for a $1 million plan to replace older water lines, Withrow told city council members.
The newly replaced water main was already scheduled for replacement under the larger plan, which was slated to replace eight-inch water lines along Main and Danville streets, from Somerset Street north to the Sunset Motel by U.S. 150.
