Cast Iron Completion Runs Out Of Time - Lights At 9th And Caribou W

If you were looking for further pavement upgrades in the area around the intersection of Caribou Street West and 9th Avenue NW, or any other street affected by water main replacement, you are going to have to wait until the Spring.

And the reason for the delay can be summed up to a few words - they ran out of time.

That is a summary of the response from city manager Jim Puffalt at today’s post Council meeting news conference.

A look at the intersection of 9th Ave NW and Caribou Street just prior to re-opening - MJ Independent photo

Puffalt was asked about the condition of not only that intersection but additionally 7th Avenue NW as well as the 1000 block of Carleton Street following the installation of new watermains as part of this year’s Cast Iron Water Main Replacement Program.

The Cast Iron Water Main Replacement Program is the replacement of all cast iron water mains in the city. The cast iron is being replaced because it has outlived its life cycle and costing millions for the City to repair annually. It is also the main reason given for the City’s $75 million in debt as well as the reason for rising property taxes and water/sewer rates.

“It is scheduled next year for an overlay,” Puffalt told the media.

The city manager said the goal was to finish the work completely this year but they had run out of time before the weather made it impossible but what people were noticing now was a driving surface until Spring and the work is scheduled to be completed.

“We obviously wanted to get a driving surface for the Winter,” he said.

The intersection recently re-opened after weeks of being closed as part of the 2021 cast iron water main replacement program. During the past Winter a major watermain break in the area adjacent the intersection resulted in many residents finding their basements had water in them.

The same holds true for the 1000 block of 7th Avenue NW where the final paving overlay will be completed in the Spring when the weather allows it to be done.

Asked by MJ Independent about resident concerns regarding the quality of workmanship in the paving of the 1100 block of 7th Avenue NW Puffalt said he had not heard any complaints from residents but asked that they get ahold of the City with their concerns.

Residents of that block contacted MJ Independent to point out what they saw as uneven paving and defects as the new cap has left a bump - that was non-existent before - where the roadway meets their driveways.

Puffalt said he was going to check out the situation and then respond to the media.

It needs to be noted when the City used a Local Improvement Program (LIP) to widen the 1100 block of 7th Avenue NW approximately 35 years ago residents then raised concerns about the quality of the work. The result helped propel successful resident petitions opposing future LIPs to widen adjacent area streets - particularly the 1100 block of 6th Avenue NW.

The proposed work would have widened streets but not replaced the cast iron water mains underneath them at that time as happened on the 1100 block of 7th Avenue NW.

About the 1000 block of Carleton Street Puffalt said there would be no paving to create a Winter driving surface.

At present the 1000 block still has an open trench after the water main was replaced. Recent rains hampered the work filling it back in.

“They were going to fill in the trenches,” he said.

Puffalt also said that tomorrow, November 10th, the local hot mix asphalt plant will be shutting down for the season.

Asked about the lack of left turning lights at the intersection of 9th Avenue NW and Caribou Street West Puffalt said the advance left turning arrows are triggered by coils in the ground which detect vehicles in the lane during peak hours.

Asked by the media what the peak hours exactly were in the morning and mid to late afternoon.

Also if you thought there were a lot of potholes this year Puffalt said the City managed to find and repair just over 8,000 of them with hot mix. The work of patching potholes with more temporary cold mix continues until the asphalt plant re-opens in the Spring.