Why is water pooling in the streets during construction?

Before any construction began, the construction crews installed soil erosion control bags — these are the black liners visible at the street — under the manhole covers and storm sewer grates in the Pink and Blue sections. The bags drop down below street level and catch construction debris and sediment before they can enter the combined sewer system. The erosion controls are required by law during road construction. The bags do allow water to pass through, but more slowly than it would drain without the erosion controls. This does cause pooling of water in the streets after heavy rains; the water will drain off over a more extended time period than usual.

The contractors have been cleaning out the erosion control bags over the last week or so, to remove any accumulated debris. Residents can expect that we will continue to see water pooling in the streets during the construction process while the erosion control bags are required.

Water pooling during the paving process

Once the curb and gutter are installed on both sides of a street, the next phase of the project will be to remove old pavement, prepare the roadbed and then pave the street with asphalt. The paving will take place in two passes which will be separated by several weeks. When the first pass of asphalt is laid, the level of the road will be below the curb/gutter; the second layer of asphalt will bring the road to the appropriate elevation in relation to the curb. Residents can expect that water will pool in the street between the layers of asphalt, since the gutter is higher than the pavement level. This is to be expected and is not a mistake or flaw. The issue will be eliminated once the final layer of asphalt is installed.