Now that the roadsides for this widening and improvements project have been largely cleared, the first task at hand is to move all utility lines that follow the edges of the current roadway. This includes telecommunication wires and cables, water and sewer pipes, and often power lines. This past week, a focus was on water lines with several crews located at various points along the construction corridor. The project's prime contractor, Robinson Paving of Columbus, brought in Gordy Construction Company of Columbus to lay out a new pipeline, then switch the water and sewer to the new system and remove the old pipes.
If you drove on Veterans Parkway through the construction zone this past week, you probably had to drive around large vehicles and equipment with crew members working both above and below ground. This activity below was at the Wooldridge Road intersection.
If you drove on Veterans Parkway through the construction zone this past week, you probably had to drive around large vehicles and equipment with crew members working both above and below ground. This activity below was at the Wooldridge Road intersection.
The land from the project's south to north end has been cleared to various widths from 20-feet to 50-feet on the roadsides depending on the future work needed in each area and with a concerted effort to cause as little impact to local property owners. Here, further north near the Lake Kokoloe area, a 40-foot wide swath has been emptied and is now being prepped for new pipe. Excavator operators continue moving earth as part of that adjustment.
When the new pipeline is installed and the old one taken out, Robinson Paving will then mobilize crews to work on the project's drainage plan. In the meantime, power and telecommunication teams will also be on the scene, doing their part to ensure that when construction crews finally start working on the actual roadway, the corridor will be completely equipped for decades of local residents' future utility use and maintenance.
As always, because so much of the current operations involve large construction vehicles and equipment along current roadsides, it's important that all drivers proceed at a moderate rate of speed through the project's work zones and stay alert to teams and individuals - including signal flaggers who may pop up when temporary lane closures occur. Give yourself extra time on your commute as well as when you know you'll need to travel through the area and practice patience. Every construction worker has a family and friends who want them to head to work and home safe and sound, just like you and me.
