roads affected by sewer project

By

Nita McCann

The Natchez Democrat

Alderman James &uot;Rickey&uot; Gray knows firsthand the problems that arise when a major public works project is undertaken.

His business, R&R Detailing on Martin Luther King Jr. Street, had to be closed temporarily due to sewer line replacement work being done on that street, which he said resulted in rough streets and threw dust into the air.

City crews washed the street down with water Thursday, settling the dust Gray said made business owners and residents retreat indoors for days. &uot;But I had to shut down for two whole weeks,&uot; Gray said.

Nearby resident Joe Grennell said it seemed similar problems in other construction areas were taken care of in a more timely manner.

&uot;They could have made a better effort,&uot; Grennell said.

But the city and its contractor are making an effort to fix the condition of the streets and other problems related to construction, Waterworks Director James Thorpe said.

Thorpe said a contracting firm working to replace sewer lines throughout Natchez will overlay torn-up sections of road once it finishes with the entire project.

Camo Construction of Vidalia is almost through with the project. &uot;We were shooting for Oct. 1 (for completion), but it looks like it may be another two weeks,&uot; Thorpe said.

Asphalting the sections of street where digging took place was part of Camo’s contract all along, Thorpe said.

&uot;But once they’re got it all completed, they’ll hire one of these local companies to put down the asphalt correctly,&uot; he said.

Meanwhile, Camo has already temporarily asphalted the streets in patches and, as a result, &uot;they’ve got most of the complaints down about dust and rough streets,&uot; Thorpe said.

In a separate project, Andrew Calvit, marketing director for MVG’s Natchez office, said Thursday he is waiting to hear back from the company’s Jackson office as to what its plans are for overlaying sections of streets impacted by that project.

Meanwhile, the company is filling in holes left by the work according to specifications supplied by the City Engineer’s Office as work at each site is completed.

But Calvit said MVG’s work is usually done on the sides of the road or sidewalks rather than in the middle of the streets, meaning less impact on city streets.

Crews of Miller Pipeline, MVG’s project contractor, should finish work on Homochitto Street today and will work on Martin Luther King Jr. Street from Orleans to Woodlawn next.

&uot;We should meet our March deadline&uot; or sooner, depending on the weather, Calvit said.