Over the next 15 or 16 months, expect a lot of work in downtown Emporia as the city refurbishes its aging sanitary sewer network.
City Engineer Jim Ubert says talks are ongoing so residents are impacted as little as possible, but a number of adjustments are coming throughout the project.
Ubert says city officials are waiting for final word on a construction permit from the Kansas Department of Transportation for work underneath US Highway 50 or Sixth Avenue. Among the early phases of the project will be finishing the TV camera investigation for certain areas of downtown that couldn’t be investigated last fall. Ubert says there will be several places — as much as 10 to 20 percent of the total project area — that still need to be assessed over the next two months. Some early work has already started, especially with marking the point repair locations.
There are eight work zones as part of the project. The early plan is to start in Zone 1, or 10th north to 14th and Neosho east to Commercial, along with work near Emporia State University to help finish out the Schallenkamp Hall construction process underway since last year. Main Street Director Casey Woods says the project is designed so adjacent or parallel zones won’t see work simultaneously.
Weekly meetings will be held at 9 am Thursdays at Emporia Main Street throughout the project. For more information, go online to www.emporiamainstreet.com.
Work zones
*Zone 1: Tenth north to 14th, Neosho east to Commercial
*Zone 2: Tenth to 14th, Commercial east to Cottonwood
*Zone 3: Sixth north to Tenth, Cottonwood east to Lakeview
*Zone 4: Sixth to Tenth, Commercial to Cottonwood
*Zone 5: Sixth to Tenth, Neosho to Commercial
*Zone 6: Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks north to Sixth, Neosho to Commercial
*Zone 7: BNSF tracks to Sixth, Commercial to Cottonwood
*Zone 8: BNSF tracks to Sixth, Cottonwood to Lakeview
