Big dig ready to start

With the Citizens Bank campus construction project moving on schedule, work to extend sewer and water lines to the site will soon begin, and on March 2 the Narragansett Bay Commission (NBC) held a public forum to provide project details and address residents’ concerns. 

“This project is going to move forward, and what we’re trying to do this evening is explain to you that there will be disruptions, and you will be annoyed at times, but we promise you that, at the end of the day, you’re going to find a better situation after we’re complete than as it exists today,” said Vin Mesolella, chair of the Narragansett Bay Commission.

With about 150 attending the presentation at the Johnston High School auditorium, Mesolella sought to dispel some rumors, informing the audience that there will be no condemnations of property along Greenville Avenue or any demolition or taking of residents’ homes.

Mesolella stated that the Greenville Avenue sewer and water extension is an NBC infrastructure improvement initiative, not a Citizens Bank initiative, and that the commission is taking full responsibility for the project.

“This project was on the drawing board since 2010, and the fact that Citizens Bank is coming here to the town of Johnston has afforded us the opportunity to make this dramatic improvement to our infrastructure and expand our service area,” said Mesolella. “Basically, the cost of this is going to be amortized through user fees paid by Citizens Bank.”

The contract for both water and sewer work was awarded with a budget of $8,570,875, with the NBC portion of that being approximately $7.4 million. Development of extension requires the installation of 7,000 linear feet of new sewer lines from Salina Avenue to approximately 1,000 feet west of I-295. The plan also calls for the construction of a one million gallon water storage tank at the Citizens site to service the area, upgrades to the Greenville Avenue water booster station, and new service laterals to property lines along the project. No disruption of water service is planned during construction.

“This project is a very difficult project; it’s the perfect storm for difficult utility projects. We have a deep dig, in some places as much as 26 feet I believe, it’s a narrow road, there’s a lot of rock and boulders,” said Mesolella. “This creates a complexity that we deal with in our industry all the time, in this particular case it’s extremely difficult.”

Brandon Blanchard, managing engineer with the Pare Corporation, explained in detail the complexities of the project and the challenges presented due to their truncated timeline for completion, set for spring of next year. 

Water system upgrades include the replacement of an existing eight inch asbestos cement water pipe with a with 16 inch ductile iron pipe. According to Blanchette, the new water tank and pump station upgrades will significantly improve pressure, fire flow, and system reliability to the area. He highlighted the benefits of sewer service being brought to an area reliant on onsite septic systems, with construction of new sewer completed with no sewer assessment to be paid by residents and businesses. Should residents wish to hook up, they would be responsible for installation on their property.

To address the project’s challenges and accelerated schedule, and to minimize construction duration to limit disruptions, extended construction hours have been approved. Work hours are scheduled from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with no blasting or mechanical rock removal to occur after 5 p.m.

During construction, Greenville Avenue will only be open to local residents on Greenville Avenue and side streets, schools buses, emergency vehicles, mail carriers, along with trash and recycling collection. Access to residents’ driveways will be maintained and kept open.

Bedrock and large boulders are expected in some parts of project based on subsurface surveys. Two sections of the project require deep sewer installation between 20 to 25 feet in an area east of Atwood Avenue and east of Route 295 near Smokey Drive. These sections represent about a third of the project.

The work sequence will first begin in several weeks in the vicinity of 295 and work west towards the Citizens site. Once that work is complete, crews will be moved to the easternmost part of the project starting at Salina and work west. National Grid will also be replacing the gas main from Salina Avenue to Blackberry Knoll only.

At those streets that intersect with Greenville Avenue but do not currently have sewer lines, stubs will be installed several feet into those side streets for future projects and developments. When the project is complete, the road will be restored and repaved, with drainage concerns taken into consideration. Construction of sidewalks is not part of current plans.

While work is underway, full time observation staff will be on hand, with representative from NBC, Providence Water, Pare Corporation and DiGregorio present. Police details will be used in addition to traffic controls, including electronic message boards that will provide updates. A 24-hour hotline, operated by NBC personnel, will be available for resident questions and concerns.

“Greenville Avenue is a state road, and during the construction of the sewer and water project we will make sure that it is open to local traffic so you’ll be able to come and go from your home as you please, as well as having 24 hour a day, seven days a week access to police, fire, rescue and school buses,” said Mayor Joseph Polisena.

Homeowners on Greenville Avenue will also soon be approached by NBC staff, who will be going door to door to find out where homeowners would like their lateral connections on their property.

“There will be no doubt it will be a bit of an inconvenience, absolutely, but when the project is complete there will be some major benefits to the Greenville Avenue area and the surrounding neighborhoods,” said Polisena.