Sewer line replacement will cause delays on this major Bellingham commuter street
Construction is slated to start next month on a $3.5 million project to replace an aging sewer main along one of Bellingham’s busiest commuter streets.
Work is expected to start in April and last through the summer, on the project that includes Woburn Street from Barkley Boulevard to Alabama Street, said Chad Schulhauser, city engineer and assistant director of the Public Works Department.
“They’re required to keep lanes open on Woburn because it’s a major commuter route,” Schulauser told the City Council’s Public Works and Natural Resources Committee in a meeting Monday, Feb. 27.
“We will definitely be impacting traffic, however they are required to keep lanes open,” he said.
This project will replace sewer mains in these areas, according to the city’s website:
▪ Woburn Street from Fraser Street south toward Lakeway Drive.
▪ Woburn Street from Texas Street to Barkley Boulevard.
▪ Barkley Boulevard from Woburn Street to Newmarket Street.
▪ Yew Street from Carolina Street to Texas Street.
There will be an open trench cut to replace the nearly 100-year-old sewer main, except at Barkley Boulevard, where crews will drill horizontally, according to the website.
“There will be extensive traffic disruptions with this project and detours are expected. Local access to homes and for emergency vehicles will be maintained,” the city’s website said.
Funding for the project comes from sanitary sewer fees.
Some night work is possible around the Barkey-Woburn intersection, Schulhauser said.
Homes and businesses along the construction route could lose water service for several hours when the new main is replaced, he said.
According to city traffic counts from 2018, that section of Woburn is among the city’s busiest arterial streets:
▪ 19,700 cars a day use the section from Barkley Boulevard to Alabama Street.
▪ 11,300 cars a day use the section from Alabama to Iowa streets.
▪ 13,100 cars a day use the section from Iowa to Fraser streets.
This story was originally published March 7, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
