FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
STATUS UPDATE ON 500 WEST IN PLEASANT VIEW
August 21, 2014
Contact:
Melinda Greenwood
City Administrator
mgreenwood@pleasantviewcity.com
801-827-0466
PLEASANT VIEW, UTAH: Late on the evening of Wednesday, August 6, the northeast area of Pleasant View City received a tremendous amount of rain. Due to the velocity of the water in the stormwater system, the storm drain structure on 500 West (just below the canal crossing) breached, creating a situation in which stormwater was unleashed below the asphalt and into the substructure of the road. The result of this event was destruction of the road. In particular, the road base, which supports the asphalt, has washed away in several sections. This created voids, crevices and sink holes in the road substructure, some visible at the surface and likely some that can’t be seen.
On Thursday, August 7, the Mayor, City Administrator, City Engineer and Public Works staff determined the road was unsafe for traffic and placed road closure signs on 500 West and created detour routes. After more damage became visible and drivers were not heeding the road closed signs, we further determined the need to permanently deter traffic from the area and placed concrete barricades on the roadway.
The area on 500 West near the canal has a history of problematic stormwater incidents. With this repair project, the City intends to install infrastructure and piping which will better contain the stormwater commonly received on the street and eliminate some of the continual problems in the area. Several design solutions have been considered and the City is proceeding with a design that we feel will best function, considering all the constraints in the area (grade of the road, canal crossing, existing infrastructure, etc.)
As of today, it is unknown when 500 West repairs will commence. Contractors have been asked to provide pricing on the bid schedule items to the City Engineer by 3:00 PM on Friday, August 22. City officials will then determine based on pricing, timeline, references, etc. which contractor will best fit the needs of the project. In order to expedite the project, the City has enacted the emergency procurement provisions in state code and city ordinances. This allows the City to bypass traditional bid practices which would likely add an additional 4 weeks to the process. Once repairs begin, our best estimations are that construction on the stormwater piping will take approximately 2 weeks, with other repairs, including paving, to take between 2 to 4 weeks for a total construction time of 4 to 6 weeks.
