Workers lay down a layer of asphalt Monday afternoon on the section of Trinity Drive between 4th Street and DP Road. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

Trinity Drive between 4th Street and DP Road gets a new layer of asphalt after having a portion of a sewer line replaced. This section of the road is closed and expected to reopen Wednesday morning. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

The torrential monsoon rainstorm Saturday in combination with the warm weather today threw a wrench in the plan to reopen Trinity Drive Tuesday morning between 4th Street and DP Road.

The rain Saturday flooded the excavation, requiring crews to pump water out of the work area and the high temperature today is making it harder for the asphalt to cool and consequently set, Traffic and Street Manager/Traffic Engineer Dan Erickson said. With the delays experienced the County anticipates opening up the closed section of Trinity Drive Wednesday morning, Erickson said.

The section of road was closed due to a failed sewer line in the road. Work started July 5 and is being jointly done by the County Department of Public Utilities and the Public Works Department.

Eastbound traffic is being diverted to 15th Street as well as Knecht Street and westbound traffic is being diverted to Central Avenue. There is no anticipated interruption in sewer services.  

Erickson explained that the County noticed July 5 that the section of Trinity had settled about a foot and was getting worse. As a result, the westbound lane of Trinity was closed. The evening of July 6, the eastbound lane of Trinity was also closed while workers replaced the section of the old, 10-inch clay pipe from curb to curb with a new C900 plastic pipe. Erickson mentioned the new pipe has special transition fittings that go from the plastic pipe to the clay pipe and should keep the joints from failing in the future.

Basically, the problem with the original clay pipe was that it was old. “Basically, it’s old  infrastructure and we’re a town that’s full of (old infrastructure),” Erickson said.

A similar issue with failed clay sewer pipe was experienced nearby in the former Smith’s parking lot in April but Erickson said the two incidents are not related.

The work, he said, “has been going exceptionally well. This is a big project with tight deadlines as we work to open Trinity Drive as soon as possible to minimize inconvenience to the community.”

Erickson credited the workers on the project, who have put in a minimum of 12 hours a day on the project and have worked up to 16 hours a day as well as weekends. “I couldn’t be more proud of them,” he said.