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

Feb. 11, 2011

Coburg Road water main project moves to nights

Eugene Water & Electric Board construction crews will shift to night work beginning Monday on the $1.2 million water main replacement project along Coburg Road.

Starting Feb. 14, crews will work four, 10-hour shifts beginning at 9 p.m. and finishing at 6 a.m. EWEB scheduled the night shifts to lessen traffic congestion and reduce impacts to businesses along Coburg Road.

During the night work, crews will close sections the outside southbound lane of Coburg Road to install the new pipe, then reopen the lane at the end of each shift.

Flaggers will help control traffic during the construction work. Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians should proceed with caution when entering the work zone.

The project, which started Feb. 2, will be complete in April. The project began at the intersection of Coburg Road and Oakway Road, will proceed north toward Harlow Road.

The project will replace an aging and brittle 8-inch concrete water main installed in the 1950s with a more durable 10-inch ductile iron pipe. The existing main runs under the outside southbound lane of Coburg Road and has outlived its expected lifespan.

The Eugene Water & Electric Board is in the fourth year of a major capital improvement program to replace aging infrastructure such as water mains and distribution lines. The existing main under Coburg is on the utility’s replacement list.

The city of Eugene is planning to repave the section of Coburg Road from Oakway Road north past Harlow Road this summer, so EWEB needs to replace the water main prior to the pavement project. The new main will allow EWEB to continue to provide reliable water service to this section of Eugene. The larger diameter pipe also will improve water flow to fire hydrants.