17 stormwater pipes need to be replaced.
This story was updated at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 18
You know those big dips around the manhole covers on Belle Terre Parkway North? It’s going to cost about $1.5 million to fix them.
At the Feb. 18 City Council meeting, staff explained the problem and the solution.
A total of 17 stormwater pipes — including some that are 60 inches in diameter — have been failing at their joints, over about 1 mile. That’s causing dirt to be “sucked in,” Stormwater and Engineering Director Carl Cote said. As a result, there are many dips in the road, especially in the southbound lanes, between Palm Coast and Matanzas Woods parkways.
“We’ve tried to put a couple of Band-aids on it,” Acting City Manager Lauren Johnson said, “but this is to repair.”
To fix the failures, expanding foam will be injected under the pavement. To prevent further issues, the pipes will be hardened through a process called spin casting, said Carmelo Morales, stormwater engineer. In the process, a layer of mortar coats the inside of the pipe.
“It’s a lot stronger than concrete,” Morales said, “almost like granite. It creates a pipe within the existing pipe.”
The solution should fix the problem for 40-50 years, he said.
“What are our residents going to feel?” City Councilwoman Theresa Pontieri asked. “What are the real life effects of this?”
The work will require closing one lane at a time, Morales said, but not both lanes. The project will take place primarily during the summer, with priority to get the work done nearest the schools first.
There were seven total bids for the project, and staff is recommending the lowest, to Atlantic Pipe Services, for $1,488,674.30 along with a 10% project contingency. Funds are already in the budget for this year.
The City Council approved the project 4-0.
