Garfield Township trustees approved a $186,900 contract Tuesday for engineering work on a project to replace a force sewer main that recently cracked under South Airport Road near Logan's Landing. Gourdie Fraser will complete the engineering work ahead of planned repairs later this fall, with the total project cost including construction estimated at just over $1.6 million. 

Jennifer Graham of Gourdie Fraser told trustees that the pipe that recently cracked and leaked sewage into the surrounding area, closing part of South Airport Road for several days, dates back to 1974. It is a thin-walled, unusual HDPE material that was not documented in historical construction records and was located just four-and-a-half feet under the road. It was installed at a time when South Airport was only two lanes and had significantly less traffic than today, she said.

Because the pipe is unsuitable for modern demands, there's a serious concern over the ongoing "potential for imminent failure," Graham said. Therefore, Garfield Township will need to address the site as soon as possible. Approximately 1,400 feet of pipe will need to be replaced stretching from near Logan's Landing up the hill to the Park Drive/South Airport intersection. Crews are still evaluating whether the existing main will be filled and abandoned in place or lined and used as a backup system for the new pipe.

Township Supervisor Joe McManus acknowledged the repairs are coming at the same time a new design is being contemplated for the same stretch of South Airport. He said the goal would be to ideally install the new pipe in a way that could accommodate the future road design, with officials making their best estimate at where future bridge pilings might be installed, for instance. Even though some of that is guesswork, it will likely take several years for a new crossing to be installed in that area, and the existing pipe can't wait that long to be replaced, McManus said.

Township officials expressed their frustration over having to frequently react to sewer breaks and infrastructure emergencies over the past year. "We're having to react too much recently," said McManus. Pointing to the township's work to create a new capital improvement plan (CIP) plus regional efforts to survey the sewer and water system, McManus said the goal is to "get our head above water soon" and proactively plan for maintenance and improvement projects. "We hope to get in that position," he said.