Capital improvements continue on Houston Street

A major water and stormwater capital improvement project continues in Old Town, with Houston Street remaining closed between First Street and Lynn Lane through early May.

The keys to this project are two-fold, according to Utilities Director Timothy Robins.

"We are updating our older water infrastructure, and we are regrading and redoing the stormwater culverts throughout the area to better traverse stormwater all the way down to the creek in between Lynn Lane and First Street," Robins said.

The water line is being upsized from 6 inches to 12 inches and relocated outside the drainage ditch to improve water continuity for residents. The new stormwater improvements will replace the undersized, silted, or nonfunctional culverts under the driveways.

Robins says the project will cost approximately $1.1 million, but the city is saving a significant amount of money by having its Utilities Construction crews install the water line portion of the project.

"Normally, the waterline package alone would have been about $800,000 to $1 million," Robins said. "The stormwater package, which includes the storm sewer and stormwater bar ditch improvements along Houston Street, costs just over $600,000. It is being completed by Gober Construction and is managed by the city's Engineering and Construction Department."

Funding will come from loans provided by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board. These loans are designated for water infrastructure and stormwater capital improvement projects. City of Broken Arrow customers' monthly usage fees will be reinvested to pay off the loans that fund these infrastructure improvements.

The project started in December and faced several challenges, including inclement weather. Robins says that heavy spring rains make this type of project even more challenging.

"As you can imagine, there are many older utilities in this area," said City of Broken Arrow Utilities Director Timothy Robins. "Whether it's gas lines, telecommunications lines, or our aging water lines, we've had to work around them in a very tight corridor."

He assures residents that the construction crews are diligently working to complete the project without disrupting residents' water and telecommunications services, and while keeping the stormwater path open.

Robins says this infrastructure initiative represents a significant investment by the city in its downtown area.

"This is a good long-term solution for the two-lane road," Robins said. "And the water line improvements will be here for a long time to come."

He also appreciates the patience citizens have shown during the completion of this project.

"Thank you so much for your patience during our road closure, which allowed our crews to safely work in the area and provide these new benefits to the citizens," Robins concluded.