The discovery of an unexpected sewer line by construction crews working at the intersection of Nicholson Drive and Brightside Lane has pushed the completion date for one of the last projects of the Green Light Plan until late spring, according to local transportation officials.
Plans for the project, which aims to relieve bottleneck traffic in the Riverbend area, kicked off years ago and work was scheduled to wrap up early this year, around February. Construction started in October, but around New Years Day workers found a sewer line on the south side of Brightside Lane, causing the contractor to pull out of the location. Officials, though, are hesitant to call the complication a delay.
DOTD communications director Rodney Mallett says that once construction crews begin working, unexpected utility lines are often found on projects, especially within larger cities.
“There’s all kinds of unmarked utilities in the ground across the state—this isn’t uncommon,” Mallett says, adding that lines may be older and unmarked or may have moved from where plans originally indicated.
City-parish officials worked with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development to order a new sewer line and other needed materials to finish the project, according to Transportation and Drainage Director Fred Raiford. He says there should be crews working on the site early next week, weather permitting, to repair the line.
“We need to move the part of the line where it’s in conflict with the roadway,” Raiford says. “It’s not a big deal; it can be handled while construction is taking place.”
It’s not clear how much the sewer line work will add to the final cost of the project, originally estimated at $9.4 million. Both Mallett and Raiford say the cost estimate hasn’t been determined yet because the work isn’t finished.
“We’re trying to get (the sewer line) in working condition,” Raiford says. “We will decide who’s responsible at a later date … I’ll be glad when this is finished. Traffic will move much safer, and much more freely.”
