Emporia’s annual Street Rehab process is fast approaching the end, according to City Engineer Jim Ubert.
The annual program is currently focused on 24th east of Prairie. Ubert says auxiliary work is just about done.
Asphalt paving work is set to begin Monday from Prairie to Lincoln, so traffic on 24th will be constricted to one lane. Driveways at Greenbriar Estates, Four Seasons and the north side of Jones Park will be impacted during the paving process and for about 90 minutes immediately afterward.
Meanwhile, Ubert says additional Street Rehab work is ahead near Emporia State University, specifically on 13th east of Highland.
Speaking of ESU, this summer has also seen work on a sewer lift station just north of the campus. Ubert says a renovation project there is running on schedule.
Lift stations don’t get nearly the public attention that streets, water liner or sewer pipes do, but Ubert says they play a critical role in the city’s infrastructure. In the ESU lift station’s case, it’s responsible for close to 20 percent of the city’s overall wastewater and sewage flow.
Summer is always busy for construction projects, but one project coming up this winter — storm sewer replacement along part of Commercial Street — highlights the city’s goal of giving a fair amount of lead time to contractors.
Ubert says there is another determining factor for cost increases: risk.
Storm sewer replacement will begin in January north of 8th and Commercial after a sinkhole near 10th and Commercial early this year. A collapsed sewer main near the initial intersection also needs to be replaced further south.
