TRAILING GROWTH: City wrapping up phase 1 of massive sewer line

<p>Greenwood is just about finished with the first part of a new 10-mile-long sewer line, but there is still a ways to go before the city’s largest capital project in modern history is complete, and city officials suspect the next section will cause more headaches.</p><p>The $62.2 million dollar western regional interceptor will replace 10 miles of Greenwood’s aging pipelines and lift stations in White River Township, between State Road 135 and State Road 37. The line will connect to Indianapolis sewers across County Line Road, on the northside of the county.</p><p>This is the largest capital project — in size and cost — taken on by the city, said Kevin Steinmetz, capital projects manager.</p><p>Working on a project that stretches from Indianapolis to Greenwood’s southside is no small task, but it’s necessary, he said.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery<p>&quot;From a sheer magnitude of cost, we know it is (the largest),&quot; Steinmetz said. &quot;Definitely in modern history, it’s the largest amount of money, and just sheer scale, mobilization and contract sizing that we’ve done.&quot;</p><p>Greenwood operates the largest sanitary district in Johnson County. The work will allow for more sewage capacity, which will allow for further development in an already booming area, as well as Interstate 69 construction, which will run along State Road 37 through White River Township.</p><p>For years, heavy rains, such as the 2008 flood, took a toll on the current sanitary sewer system, particularly on Greenwood’s west side and downtown areas, according to the city’s website.</p><p>The new pipeline, which ranges from 8 to 60 inches in circumference, will alleviate capacity issues in the city’s sewer system on the west side of the city, as well as in central and Old Town Greenwood.</p><p>The western regional interceptor will channel as many as 7 to 9 million gallons of water a day away from the Pleasant Run Interceptor, the city’s website said.</p><p>The large-scale project is being managed by Bowen Engineering, an Indianapolis-based contractor.</p><p>Another reason for the project is federal environmental compliance, which mandates elimination of sanitary sewer overflows and backups, which have been reported in Greenwood.</p><p>&quot;Obviously, some of the (subdivisions) out there are 40 years old now, so as you upgrade, you can limit some of those concerns,&quot; Steinmetz said. &quot;It’s kind of a multi-factor approach. However, to realize all those gains, it’s a pretty big financial undertaking.&quot;</p><p>The construction is separated into two phases. The first started in summer 2019 and will stretch into late 2020, Steinmetz said. Phase 2 will begin later this year and continue into 2021.</p><p>The city has spent about $19 million so far, and has about $12 million left to complete Phase 1 if officials hope to stay on budget. The budget for Phase 2 is $34 million, said Greg Wright, city controller.</p><p>To pay for the work, the Greenwood City Council, in 2016, approved raising sewer rates from 2017 to 2020. Rates increased by 49% over the course of four years. Wright said the city hired a financial adviser to help calculate the best way to generate the revenue that’s needed.</p><p>The average customer on the sewer system saw their monthly bill increase from about $32 to $48 this year.</p><p>About 70% of phase one is complete, Steinmetz said. Initial construction that began on the northern half of the interceptor near State Road 37, near Mount Pleasant Christian Church at Fairview Road and Paddock Drive, was completed last week.</p><p>Toward the end of the year, the city will close Smith Valley Road at Paddock Drive, where Phase 1 ends and Phase 2 is slated to begin, and a detour will be put in place, Steinmetz said. There is no definitive date for that yet, he said.</p><p>Now, workers are heading toward more populated areas, which tends to cause more construction delays, Wright said.</p><p>There are several subdivisions in the area of Smith Valley Road and Paddock Drive, where the next phase is slated to begin. Many people commute in that area to and from work and school every day.</p><p>&quot;The first part of Phase 1 was able to move pretty quickly because it wasn’t in an area where there are a lot of houses, and they were going through cornfields for the most part,&quot; Wright said. &quot;But now that we’re in the residential areas, it takes a little longer to get through there.&quot;</p><p>As with any project of this magnitude, there have been some construction snafus, but crews were prepared, Steinmetz said. They knew they would be dealing with weather, and digging near utilities and populated areas, he said.</p><p>&quot;You knew that you’d have weather issues. You knew that you’d have soil that could be challenging, particularly if it was wet,&quot; Steinmetz said. &quot;Once you got into the (populated areas), things were going to get a lot trickier.</p><p>But again, the conflicts that they’ve faced are very predictable.&quot;</p><p>Any problems were remedied quickly, he said.</p><p>The city is working to communicate as much as possible about road closures on its website and social media channels, Steinmetz said, and construction workers near the site are in communication with people who live nearby.</p><p>Still, he understands drivers’ frustrations, he said.</p><p>&quot;When (construction workers) have to go under a road and close a road or be right by the road and close a lane in the road, that — especially if you’re commuting somewhere (or) trying to get your kid to school or daycare — without a doubt can cause a fair amount of driver frustration,&quot; Steinmetz said.</p>