| Utah Power crews install a line of utility poles in the new corridor along U.S. Highway 6 between Price and Wellington. The poles are being set back to accommodate future road improvements. |
Nearly one million dollars of sewer extension work and a major utility relocation for a road project between Price and Wellington are still under construction in Carbon County.
The Price River Water Improvement District had eight sewer extension projects slated at locations across the county during the current construction season. Approximately one-half of the district’s projects are almost completed.
Work nearing completion include two small PRWID extensions in Spring Glen as well as a small and a large project in the Carbonville area. About the only thing left to do at the sites is to repair the roads that were torn up in connection with the projects
The sewer line extension work is being done by Claw Construction Company. Claw has contracted with Nielson Construction to complete the road work.
Last week during PRWID’s regular board meeting, the district approved partial payment to the major contractor in the amount of $135,608.70.
All the work in the multiple locations was bid out at once and in one lot, so Claw is the general contractor.
“These projects represent end of the line kind of extensions,” pointed out PRWID manager Phil Palmer at the meeting. “We have done most of the easy, inexpensive projects in the past. Now we are having to do the more expensive ones a little at a time.”
The major project that has almost been completed in Carbonville included two bores that had to be made under the Union Pacific railroad tracks.
The contractor has now moved onto the next two projects.
One of the projects is located near Gardner Lane at 750 West in Carbonville. The crew had to spend time working in the area where the road crosses the railroad tracks. But on Tuesday, the construction went fast until the afternoon.
“On Tuesday morning, the track hoe operator was able to dig 290 feet of trench and the crew was moving extremely fast,” explained assistant water improvement district manager Jeff Richens on Wednesday. “But then in the afternoon, they hit water and they were only able to go about 50 feet.”
The ground water at the construction site in Carbonville is caused by the confluence of two irrigation ditches along with a large amounts of farm ground that is flood irrigated.
The contractor’s construction crews will soon be starting work on an extension line in the Bawdenville area east of Price.
In addition, there are three other projects to complete. Two sites are in Wellington and one is located on south Utah Highway 10. The Highway 10 project involves replacing a lift station that has caused odor problems for nearby residents with a gravity line.
“They will get started on those as soon as they are done with these other two,” stated Richens.
At the district meeting, the PRWID board also discussed the fact that five small water companies in the county will be replacing lines during the winter. When the water lines are finished, the areas will meet the specifications to be absorbed into PRWID’s system.
“We are formulating the plans right now and are getting environmental clearances from various federal agencies for the projects,” noted Richens during the meeting last week. “We hope to have equipment working on the projects around Nov. 1.”
The five companies that will be absorbed into the PRWID system once the lines are replaced are Carbonville Water, East Carbonville Water, Jewkes Water Company, Thayn Water Company and East Wellington Water Company.
Money to fund the projects came from a low-interest Utah Division of Drinking Water loan.
Local residents served by the lines will repay the loan to the state during a 20-year period.
Richens explained the day after the meeting that line work is frequently tackled during the winter months because the demand for water is slower and the possible disruptions in service are not as critical.
PRWID has finished the district’s work along U.S. Highway 6 between Wellington and Price.
The sewer and water lines needed to be relocated so construction on a four-lane highway expansion can start next spring. The entire project was financed by the Utah Department of Transportation through a reimbursement program to the water improvement district.
The underground utilities have been modified at the site on U.S. 6.
But the overhead utilities are still in the process of being changed to accommodate the four-lane expansion.
At present, Utah Power crews are placing new utility poles on the north side of the road. Once the old utility poles have been replaced and removed from the site, UDOT’s contractor will be able to start the highway improvement work.
The Price-Wellington highway expansion will be one of six projects UDOT will undertake in Carbon County starting late next winter.