HASSO HERING

The west bank of Waverly Lake looked like this on Thursday afternoon.

The construction you see near Waverly Lake is part of a big sewer project intended to serve the growing part of Albany on the east side of Interstate 5.

The current job amounts to digging a trench that’s about 1,400 feet long and about 25 feet deep, and installing sewer pipes of 30-inch and 24-inch diameter, respectively. This segment goes from Salem Avenue south along the lake, underneath Pacific Boulevard and Cox Creek, and to the north end of Swan Lakes near Bain Street.

Staci Belcastro, the city engineer in Albany Public Works, reminded me in an email that this is Phase 2 of a three-phase project to enlarge the Cox Creek interceptor. She explained:

“The Cox Creek sewer interceptor is a large diameter sewer pipe that connects the Albany-Millersburg Water Reclamation Facility with properties to the southeast extending across Interstate 5. This multi-phase project will increase capacity in the sewer pipe to reduce surcharging and overflows and facilitate development east of I-5. The first phase of the project was completed in 2020, and the third phase is expected to be constructed during the next budget cycle. Emery and Sons Construction Group was awarded the $4.7 million contract to build the project. “

When I went by there on the bike Thursday afternoon, work had stopped for the day. The walkway along the west bank of Waverly Lake was closed.

It looked like the trench along that segment had already been dug and filled in again. And the walkway looked new or rebuilt.

The bank was shored up with a long line of concrete jersey barriers. Presumably these will be removed when the project is done. (hh)

These concrete jersey barriers presumably won’t be there for long.