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Arlington pipe work to affect county roads
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WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Arlington County this year will begin a years-long effort to replace its aging underground storm-water system, a feat that will require digging up some streets to reach an extensive network of deteriorating or too-small pipes.
County staff are still working out the logistics of replacing 215 miles of the county’s 360-mile underground pipe network, which is reaching the end of its 50-year life, but plans have already been drawn up for some of the most critical projects.
Failures in Arlington’s corrugated pipes and culverts have racked up multimillion-dollar replacement costs, caused traffic disruptions and threatened public safety over the past few years, officials said.
A major storm in June 2006 overwhelmed the storm-water system’s capacity, flooding more than 300 homes and prompting the county to develop a plan for replacing the system.
The county board voted last month to use 1 cent of a 3-cent increase in the real estate tax to overhaul the system and expand its capacity — a plan that is expected to cost $25 million over the next six years.
County staff will spend the next two years developing a master plan for the replacements but have begun scheduling five of the most critical projects, a few of which could begin in 2009.
Many of the projects will necessarily affect the county’s roads.
“I’m sure it will have some impact on the streets in the immediate vicinity, but like any construction, it would definitely be done in consultation with the folks in the neighborhood,” county environmental planner Jeff Harn said.
“But during that time when the street’s dug up and they’re replacing pipes, that will cause some inconvenience, that’s inevitable,” Harn said.
The county could begin replacing pipes under John Marshall Drive at Lee Highway as soon as next year — a project that officials estimate may take less than a year to complete, he said.
In 2010, drivers could see two-year-long projects along 33rd Road North and 34th Street North to Williamsburg Boulevard, and at North Sycamore Street and 24th Street North.
A larger project at Spout Run is not scheduled to begin for another five years, and staff are still completing design work for a major project between Washington Boulevard, Interstate 66 and the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington.
tluntz@dcexaminer.com
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Examiner Reader CS said:
When builders are "regulated" it seems the regulatory agency always lacks the teeth to do a thing. Could this be because contractor boards are often made up of other contractors? It never works to have the fox guarding the henhouse. Until there is a real threat of jail time for construction rip offs these builders will continue to operate this way with no fear of consequences. Make it criminal, put jail time into the equation and maybe you'll see something change.
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Examiner Reader said:
There are plenty of plans for this development but is the money actually there. With the continuing decline of the economy, one has to wonder what will actually get built.
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Examiner Reader said:
Another crappy idea that will continue the conversion of San Francisco into Manhattan. Along with overcrowding and loss of sunshine, these mega-buildings are UGLY. The tower on Rincon Hill is an gross phallic symbol acrros our once-magnificent skyline. Thanks (NOT) to Gavin Newsom, Chris Daly, the SF Realtors and everyone else promoting high rises for making this city a liitle less livable. "Welcome to New York! Now go home, #@$hole! " (just trying to get in the spirit of New York).
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Examiner Reader said:
why don't you get off the phone and go to the circle and take us along so you're not so dreadfully boring? read the towson times. you might learn something. it sure covers baltimore county a whole lot better than you. why is that?
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Examiner Reader said:
So they are going to take something horribly designed and make it worse? Making it single laned will only mean greater traffic issues and accidents. Geesh i mean, the reason no one does through it is because it's too small, there is not enough distance to enter, merge and then exit. plus the fact that its more of an oblong shape than circular doesn't help matters.
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Examiner Reader said:
We can't hardly wait until it's done. They should have done this years ago!
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