For More Information Contact:
Joe Harwood, 541-685-7471
Eugene Water & Electric Board

March 5, 2010

Water projects to cause intermittent traffic delays

Eugene Water & Electric Board crews working on a pair of water reliability upgrade projects will cause intermittent traffic delays on a portion of West 13th Avenue and also along a southern segment of Fox Hollow Road in south Eugene beginning Monday morning.

Crews will begin excavation and replacement of about 700 feet of 12-inch steel pipe on the north side of West 13th Avenue, from Jefferson Street east to Lawrence Street. They will replace the old steel pipe with more durable iron pipe.

During the four-week project, motorists and cyclists can expect intermittent traffic delays and the closure of the northern-most lane of 13th Avenue. Work will run from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The crews will use flaggers and traffic cones to delineate the work zone.

In April, crews will begin to replace a second section of old water main on West 13th Avenue, from Lawrence Street east to Olive Street. The water main replacement project along 13th Avenue, as well as one that is almost finished along High Street, are being completed ahead city of Eugene resurfacing projects planned for this summer.

Also on Monday, EWEB crews will begin excavation work on Fox Hollow Road between the intersections of Fox Hollow and Donald Street and Fox Hollow and Owl Road for the placement of two large utility vaults. This work will last six to eight weeks and take place from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Motorists and cyclists should expect periodic lane closures and traffic delays. Flaggers will control traffic at the intersections.

The work on Fox Hollow is part of EWEB’s South Hills Utility Upgrade project. A new water main will connect the area served by the Fox Hollow 1150 pump station with the Willamette 1150 reservoir and pump station. This connection will improve reliability for many customers because service will no longer be subject to interruption due to power failure as the water will be available by gravity from the reservoir.

The replacement and extension of the water mains, some of which are more than 50 years old, is part of EWEB’s 10-year, $130 million water system capital improvement plan. Over the next eight years, EWEB crews will make a series of capital improvements to the city’s water system to ensure reliable service and the delivery of high quality water.