Hi, I am Donald Cecil. I'm a civil engineer for the water division of Loveland Utilities, and I'm here to talk about the East First Street Wastewater Interceptor Project.

The project will kick off in mid-December, starting with pre-construction activities. Construction is expected to last through the spring and wrap up in early May.

Loveland is experiencing a lot of growth, and this project is meant to make sure that we have the capacity within our system to collect those wastewater flows so they can safely be conveyed away and treated at our wastewater plant.

The project consists of a new 36-inch wastewater collection pipeline. It'll collect wastewater flows from the east side of Loveland, carrying them from Willow Bend Park all the way west to the intersection of North Denver Avenue. There's an existing 24 inch wastewater collection pipe within East First Street that is near capacity, especially considering the anticipated growth on the east side of town.

To install the new wastewater collection pipe, we'll need to install a trench along the entire length of the right of way for the project. For the majority of construction, we expect to be able to maintain eastbound traffic closures, mostly to westbound traffic only. However, there will be periods where there will be simple lane shifts or even closures to both eastbound and westbound traffic.

It might seem strange to start construction during the middle of winter. However, we have the advantage of working when there are lower groundwater levels and also allows for safe crossings of open ditches that don't tend to flow this time of year. 

As we do with all large capital construction projects, we hosted a competitive bidding process. Ultimately, the job was awarded to Garney Construction who came in well under our assumed budget.

This project and future phases were identified within our wastewater collection Master Plan as critical infrastructure projects needed to serve the community today and in the future. 

You can find out more and track the project's progress by going to Let'sTalkLoveland.org.