West Front Street is one of those enthusiastically received completions. It needed many updates badly, as the road was worn down and full of potholes and patches. 

Team Elmer’s was hired to take on the complete reconstruction of West Front Street from Division Street to Elmwood Street – 1300 feet on each side. This reconstruction was more than just updating the road and sidewalks – the city also needed new water main and storm sewer line upgrades with new precast drywells.

Team Elmer’s came in and tore up the entire stretch of road and began the work on updating water main from 6” cast steel watermain to 8” ductile iron piping for additional volume and increased flow. When the crews looked to connect existing pipeline (thought to be under the existing stream bed) with newly placed upgrades, it was discovered the lines actually ran over the river box culvert instead. This allowed City engineers to also upgrade the existing pipe system that crossed the river to the new ductile iron piping.

To help reduce storm water runoff and debris in surface waters, the storm sewer was upgraded to CL IV concrete. Team Elmer’s installed the new storm system, which adds additional inlets and also 7-foot wide, 7-foot tall, 12-foot long precast drywells from Northern Concrete Pipe to handle the runoff from the street. What makes these drywells so effective at filtering the storm runoff are the special snouts installed over the ends of the outlet pipes connecting to the tanks.

Then, to rebuild the road, Team Elmer’s replaced the curb and gutter, poured new sidewalks, and paved fresh asphalt. The project even included widening the road to include a bike path. 

Crews completed all road construction for the project on time in early November to reopen West Front Street to traffic. One of the biggest challenges of this project was providing access to local businesses along the street. Team Elmer’s had to work diligently to stay on task and communicate with businesses. Local merchants appreciated the attention to detail and the good communication from Team Elmer’s on the status of the project. 

By the Numbers

• HMA: 1,542 tons
• Curb & Gutter: 2,618 feet
• Sidewalk: 15,264 square feet
• Aggregate Base : 5,967 square yards
• Water Main: 1,596 feet
• Water Service: 31
• Precast Drywells: 3
• Fire Hydrant Assemblies: 3

DATE STARTED: August 7, 2017
DATE COMPLETED: November 7, 2017
PARTNERS: Bella Concrete, PK Contracting, G&J Site Solutions, Give ‘Em A Brake Safety,  Northern A-1