Click on any image for a larger view and all 12 photos.
Thursday May 7th, 2015
Paving of Trench to begin
Over the course of the next 2-3 weeks, Lazaro Paving of Acton will be milling and re-surfacing the roadways on School Street, Parker Street, High Street and Assabet Crossing. These roads were disturbed last year during the installation of infrastructure to support the new filtration plant. Please be observant of changing traffic patterns, and mindful of personnel and equipment in the public right of way.
Schedule:
Week of 5/11 - 5/13 Milling of road surfaces.
Week of 5/18 - 5/22 Subcontrator will be raising all structures in the road.
5/25/2015 - Memorial Day.
Week of 5/26 - 5/29 Paving of surfaces, if in 4 days the paving is not complete it will rollover into the following week.
Thursday, January 8th, 2015
PARKER STREET Reopening today
After a month of work in the vicinity of the railroad tracks on Parker Street, the road will be re-opening to through traffic today, Thursday, January 8, 2015. Impacted areas of Parker Street, School Street, High Street and Assabet Crossing will be paved curb-to-curb this spring. The completion of the installation of the 42” sleeve under the railroad tracks is a major hurdle in the process of commissioning the new South Acton Water Treatment Plant this year. The plant will filter about 40% of our supply, and will significantly increase the water quality from our five South Acton wells by filtering out mineral constituents that cause water discoloration prior to entry into the distribution system piping network. I would like to thank residents and motorists for their patience during this disruptive, but temporary inconvenience.
Chris Allen
Acton Water District Manager
Friday, December 19th, 2014
Parker Street to remain closed at the railroad tracks through early January
The contractors, Waterline Industries and M&P Pipe Jacking, have installed the 70’ x 42” steel sleeve under the railroad tracks on Parker Street. This installation began on Monday, 12/15 @ 10 AM. The sleeve broke through into the receiving pit (High Street side of tracks) on Wednesday, 12/17 at around 10 AM, so a net 48 hours total. M&P is now installing the two carrier pipes, a 10” and 12” pipe, through the sleeve. Once complete and tested for leak tightness, the 10”pipe will be connected to the transmission line for the School Street wells for water supply to the new South Acton Water Treatment Plant for filtration; the 12” pipe is for future distribution system improvements, removing the need to install an additional sleeve when that occurs. Given the complexity of this aspect of the project, and the duration of the sleeve jacking under the tracks, Waterline will not be able to make the connection prior to Christmas. Over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, the decision was made to maintain that area of the road closed to facilitate management of the active trenches, and de-watering to control ground water infiltration (Waterline had to remove a catch basin and install two sumps with de-watering pumps). In order to keep this equipment operational, the trench must remain open, but will have a steel plate over it for safety. The 30’ x 10’ trench on the River Street side of the tracks will be backfilled with dirt. Waterline will re-mobilize to the site the week of January 5th to complete the piping connections. The decision to maintain the road closed was due to the reduction in traffic over the holidays due to schools being closed and lighter holiday traffic. Additionally, most motorists that would use that thoroughfare have altered their driving habits to accommodate the closure. We saw it as a potential point of confusion to re-open the road, and subsequently close it again in early January to complete the job. We estimate the remainder of the work will take approximately a week. We anticipate the new filtration plant will be commissioned in late February/early March, barring any unforeseen delays due to winter weather, or other. We are thankful to the public at large for their patience and understanding of these temporary inconveniences. It has been challenging, to say the least. We are looking forward to completing this unprecedented project, and getting things back to normal.
Tuesday, December 9th, 2014
Update on Parker Street work
The contractor, Waterline Industries, has completed the excavation of a 30’ x 10’ access trench on the River Street side of the Railroad (RR) tracks on Parker Street. This is the point from which the 70’ x 42” Stainless Steel casing will be hydraulically jacked (drilled) under the tracks. Preparation of the area, and excavation of a “Receiving” trench, weather permitting, will be completed this week. M&P Pipe Jacking, the subcontractor providing the casing, and performing the jacking has mobilized to the site, and is participating in the preparation of the area. We anticipate the commencement of the jacking on Monday, December 15th. Once begun, this must be seen through to completion, hence, a round-the-clock operation. This is the ONLY aspect of the project for which night work will be required. We are hopeful, given the sub-surface conditions, that this will take 36-48 hours to complete. We, again, are extremely grateful for the public’s patience as we complete this very complex, multi-faceted, and tremendously important project. This carrier sleeve will house two pipes; one for the transmission of raw water from the three School Street wells (near the soccer fields off Rt 2) to the new South Acton Water Treatment Plant (off High Street across from Acton Ford) for filtration, and one pipe for future upgrades to the water distribution system piping on Parker Street. Parker Street remains closed at the RR tracks, but the street is open to local, not through, traffic on either side of the tracks.
November 26th, 2014
Parker Street construction beginning on Thursday, December 4th
This work should have no impact on the water quality or service.
In the coming weeks, starting on Thursday, December 4th, Waterline Industries out of Seabrook, NH, along with M&P Pipe Jacking out of Connecticut will be performing the extremely complex task of jacking (burrowing) a 42” Stainless Steel sleeve under the MBTA rail on Parker Street. This could take several weeks to complete. Due to the very complex nature of this, Parker Street will be closed at the MBTA tracks near River Street, as the majority of the time, most of both travel lanes in the vicinity of the Railroad tracks will be blocked by materials and equipment related to the construction. This activity is necessary to complete the transmission pipe from the School Street wells, by Route 2, to the new South Acton Water Treatment Plant off High Street that will be commissioned later this winter. This has required, and will require, precise coordination between Waterline-the contractor, Wright-Pierce- the consulting engineer, the Water District, and Town of Acton Police, Highway & Engineering. Overseeing the project for MBTA will be representatives of Keolis Commuter Services, the maintenance company for the commuter rail. Motorists should be observant of posted work areas and detours. If you have questions or concerns, please contact the Water District at 978-263-9107, and we will do our best to answer any questions accurately, and address any concerns in a timely fashion.
September 12th, 2014
The new High Street water main is completely connected and in-service
The new 12” water main pipe on High Street that was recently installed by JP Cardillo as part of the new South Acton Water Treatment Plant project, is completely installed and connected to all residential services and interconnecting streets. During the past week, the flow patterns on High Street and interconnecting streets, Parker, Main, Conant, Valley, Hatch, Parmley have been altered to support this connection. This may have caused water discoloration in any area of the system due to the abnormal hydraulic configuration. Now that the new 12” pipe is connected, and old 8” pipe is retired and disconnected, the flow pattern has returned to normal (High Street and all interconnections OPEN), and discoloration should subside in the next 12-24 hours. The overall project is about 80% complete, and the water main portion, Contract #2, is about 90% complete. The contractor is making preparations to mill and overlay the impacted portions of School Street and Parker Street this fall. Similarly, High Street will be resurfaced next spring after the water main trench is allowed to settle for a period of time.
We apologize for this inconvenience, and appreciate your patience as we make these critical modifications to the water supply.
September 5, 2014
Conant Street water pipe connection to new pipe on High Street
This is to inform you that the contractor has completed the installation of the new water main on High Street. The Contractor is currently making preparations to connect the pipe on Conant Street to the new main on High Street, and this will occur, weather permitting, on Wednesday, September 10th. During this process, your water service will be unavailable due to the need to shut off the pipe to facilitate the new connection. The shutdown will commence at 9 AM on that day. Once connected, the water service will be restored. We anticipate that will be by the end of business on the same day.
Please call Larry Walsh of Wright-Pierce Engineers @ 603-216-7099 if you need to make special arrangements or if you have any questions on this project.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we make necessary upgrades to our distribution system.
September 2, 2014
Flow change May cause discoloration and pressure Fluctuations
In order to accommodate the connection of the newly installed 12” water pipe on High Street, in the coming days we will be altering the hydraulic flow patterns of water on High Street and interconnecting streets, i.e., Valley Drive (Including Broadview and Silver Hill), Conant Street, Hatch Road, Parmley Drive. During this process, periods of discoloration and/or fluctuations in pressure MAY occur on any of these streets and other adjacent streets, i.e., Parker Street, River Street, School Street, Main Street, etc.,. Those customers whose service will be interrupted should have already received prior notification. This is necessary to get the new water main pipe into service to support the eventual commissioning of the South Acton Water Treatment Plant this winter.
We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience, and greatly appreciate your patience during this process. If you have any questions, please call our office during normal business hours (MON-FRI 7:30 AM to 4 PM) at 978-263-9107.
August 29th, 2014
Dear Resident:
This is to inform you that the contractor has completed the installation of the new water main on High Street and, weather permitting, is making preparations to connect interconnecting pipes on intersecting streets to the new main. This will occur as follows:
- Tuesday, 9/2: with the 12” main at 175 High Street
- Wednesday and Thursday, 9/3 & 9/4: with Valley Road and Hatch Road
- Friday, 9/5: Services and paving
Not every phase of this project will interrupt water service.
It is anticipated that this work will be completed between the hours of 9:00 am and 3:00 pm. However, with buried infrastructure, unforeseen conditions can cause delays and extend project duration. Every effort will be made to complete this work as expeditiously as possible.
Please call Larry Walsh of Wright-Pierce Engineers at 603-216-7099 if you need to make special arrangements or have any questions.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we make the necessary upgrades to our distribution system.
Respectfully,
Chris Allen
District Manager
August 6th, 2014
TO: Residents of High Street and intersecting streets
RE: Water main improvements on High Street
Dear Resident/Business Owner:
This is to inform you that the contractor has completed the installation of the new water main on High Street, and, weather permitting, is making preparations to connect interconnecting pipes on intersecting streets to the new main between Main Street and Faulkner Hill Road, and this will occur as follows:
- Monday, 8/11, with the 6” pipe serving the condominium complex at 8 High Street near Erickson’s Grain.
- Tuesday, 8/12, the 8” Emergency Main to Audubon Hill
- POSTPONED (until Friday 8/15) DUE TO RAIN Wednesday, 8/13, the pipe interconnecting Faulkner Hill Rd.
- Thursday, 8/14, the 12” pipe to Audubon Hill.
- Friday, 8/15, the pipe interconnecting Faulkner Hill Rd.
Not every phase of this project will interrupt water service.
It is anticipated that this work will be completed between the hours of 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM. However, with buried infrastructure, unforeseen conditions can cause delays, and, thusly extend project duration. Every effort will be made to complete this work as expeditiously as possible, and within the prescribed timeframe.
Please call Larry Walsh of Wright-Pierce Engineers @ 603-216-7099 if you need to make special arrangements or if you have any questions.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we make necessary upgrades to our distribution system.
Respectfully,
Chris Allen
District Manager
July 22nd, 2014
The contractor, Joseph P. Cardillo & Son of Wakefield, MA, is in the process of installing a new 12” pipe on High Street from Main Street/Route 27 to approximately 176 High Street. This previously undersized 8” pipe needs to be up-sized to accommodate the flow from the soon to be commissioned South Acton Water Treatment Plant under construction across from Acton Ford off High Street in South Acton. The new 12” pipe is about 80% installed. The contractor must leak test the new pipe, then disinfect and sample for bacteria. Once these tests have passed, the contractor will begin a process of tying in interconnecting streets, Conant Street, Faulkner Hill, Audubon Hill, Hatch St, Valley Drive and Parmley Drive. In addition, residential services on High Street will need to be swapped over to the new pipe. Residents there should be on the lookout for notices for needed outages to complete the transfer of individual services. Previously, as part of this project, JP Cardillo installed a 10” transmission pipe from the School Street well sources (Near the soccer fields off Route 2) across School Street, Parker Street and entrance into the treatment plant site from Assabet Crossing. The only piece that prevents this from being a contiguous pipe is the installation of a carrier 42” steel sleeve under the MBTA rail near River Street, and the 10” pipe installed inside this sleeve. Additionally, the contractor will be installing a second 12” pipe for a future distribution system upgrade on Parker Street. This aspect of the project requires intricate planning, and coordination with the MBTA to complete. Otherwise, all of the 10” pipe is installed. Per Acton Highway Department regulation, the trench will be allowed to settle for one year, at which time, the impacted roadways, School Street, Parker Street and High Street, will be milled and overlaid curb-to-curb. Additional scope of this restoration will have the contractor restoring any areas abutting the roadways to existing (prior to commencing construction), or better, condition. We firmly understand that the traffic impacts have severely inconvenienced many motorists and citizens. We’d like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding as we complete this very important system improvement.
May 15, 2014
CONTRACTOR will be tying in Assabet Crossing Water Main
The contractor, JP Cardillo, will be tying in the water main at Assabet Crossing as part of the new South Acton Water Treatment Plant project. This will necessitate a shutdown of service to Assabet Crossing for the duration of the project; should be done today. Additionally, due to the flow reconfiguration of the supply of water in that area, there may some water discoloration in any portion of the system due to the distribution network being interconnected throughout the town. This should be a temporary condition, and, if present, will subside with time. I’d like to thank residents and customers for their patience as we make these very necessary improvements to our water system. The replacement of buried infrastructure comes with significant challenges, and I firmly understand that the roadway and product impacts have been an inconvenience. The project is on schedule, and we hope to commission the new facility by mid-winter. This plant will filter approximately 40% of the water that we supply.
Thank you
Chris Allen
District Manager
April 14, 2014
CONTRACTOR MOBILIZed FOR WATER SYSTEM MODIFICATIONS TO SUPPORT THE NEW sOUTH ACTON WATER TREATMENT PLANT
After terminating work last December due to the impending winter weather, Joseph P Cardillo of Wakefield, MA has re-mobilized to complete the scope of the system improvements to support the commissioning of the South Acton Water Treatment Plant that is currently under construction off High Street. We anticipate completion of this portion of the project in late summer/early fall this year. This project will impact School Street, Parker Street, Assabet Crossing and High Street. Traffic patterns will be impacted on these rights-of-way during the project. Typically the contractor will maintain one lane for vehicle passage, but there may be times when it is necessary to close the road, and detour traffic for safety purposes. We appreciate everyone’s patience during this process, and understand the major inconvenience that this presents. By filtering 40% of our source of supply, the commissioning of this facility will severely mitigate the mineral constituency in our source waters in South Acton that are the root cause of the water discoloration throughout the distribution system at various times. Over time, with periodic seasonal flushing to remove mineral sediment that has built up over time, the occurrences of these discoloration events should be significantly reduced in frequency and duration. Please check back here at our website for periodic updates and progress photos.
November 6, 2013
Contractor mobilizing for installation of pipes to support new treatment plant in South Acton
Now that the new South Acton Water Treatment Plant has been permitted, designed and bid, it is time to get to work! The site work has begun and the land to accommodate the new building is being cleared off High St behind Powdermill Plaza. One of the larger and more impactful portions of the project is the installation of over 2 miles of transmission pipes to direct water for filtration from the School Street well site to the new treatment plant at the Assabet well site. This, of course, means burying a pipe in the Public Right of Way on School Street and Parker Street through Assabet Crossing and then cross-country into the new treatment plant site.
In the coming months, the contractor, JP Cardillo of Wakefield, MA will be installing this transmission main. They have mobilized to the site, and beginning the week of 11/4, will be installing erosion controls in the areas of wetlands and streams per the Acton Conservation Commission’s Order of Conditions. The plan is to break ground and begin installing pipe the week of 11/11. As long as weather conditions allow, the contractor, in coordination with Town of Acton Engineering and Highway Department, will continue to work being very conscious of the impending winter weather. Trench maintenance will be of paramount priority to mitigate impacts on traffic and snowplowing activities. The contractor will work into the month of December as weather permits. Activities will be suspended in that timeframe, and then re-mobilization will occur in spring of 2014, around March/April, when the weather breaks, and conditions permit.
We will be keeping our website up to date as much as possible to keep motorists informed of roadway impacts.
Thank you for your patience and understanding for this critically important capital improvement to the public water supply system in Acton.
Parker Street to remain closed at the railroad tracks through early January
The contractors, Waterline Industries and M&P Pipe Jacking, have installed the 70’ x 42” steel sleeve under the railroad tracks on Parker Street. This installation began on Monday, 12/15 @ 10 AM. The sleeve broke through into the receiving pit (High Street side of tracks) on Wednesday, 12/17 at around 10 AM, so a net 48 hours total. M&P is now installing the two carrier pipes, a 10” and 12” pipe, through the sleeve. Once complete and tested for leak tightness, the 10”pipe will be connected to the transmission line for the School Street wells for water supply to the new South Acton Water Treatment Plant for filtration; the 12” pipe is for future distribution system improvements, removing the need to install an additional sleeve when that occurs. Given the complexity of this aspect of the project, and the duration of the sleeve jacking under the tracks, Waterline will not be able to make the connection prior to Christmas. Over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, the decision was made to maintain that area of the road closed to facilitate management of the active trenches, and de-watering to control ground water infiltration (Waterline had to remove a catch basin and install two sumps with de-watering pumps). In order to keep this equipment operational, the trench must remain open, but will have a steel plate over it for safety. The 30’ x 10’ trench on the River Street side of the tracks will be backfilled with dirt. Waterline will re-mobilize to the site the week of January 5th to complete the piping connections. The decision to maintain the road closed was due to the reduction in traffic over the holidays due to schools being closed and lighter holiday traffic. Additionally, most motorists that would use that thoroughfare have altered their driving habits to accommodate the closure. We saw it as a potential point of confusion to re-open the road, and subsequently close it again in early January to complete the job. We estimate the remainder of the work will take approximately a week. We anticipate the new filtration plant will be commissioned in late February/early March, barring any unforeseen delays due to winter weather, or other. We are thankful to the public at large for their patience and understanding of these temporary inconveniences. It has been challenging, to say the least. We are looking forward to completing this unprecedented project, and getting things back to normal.
