Drivers in Bonney Lake will have to put up with daytime and overnight lane closures on westbound state Route 410 for just a little bit longer.
A flaw in a 400-foot section of pipe near Myers Road means workers will have to spend the next week or so fixing the problem, which means further closures during non-commute hours.
The original project was to instal a new lining in the sewer pipe stretching from Myers Road to Main Street along SR410. To do so, workers pull a flat liner through the pipes and then use steam to expand the liner and attach it to the wall of the pipe, where it hardens.
The project was scheduled to be completed by Oct. 16.
But according to Public Works Director Dan Grigsby, the liner failed to inflate in the section of the pipe just below Myers Road. Workers must now go through the pipe inch by inch with a small drill and a camera to cut through the failed liner.
Grigsby characterized the work as being slow-going, partially because the company is only allowed to close lanes to work on the pipes between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. or 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., in an attempt to prevent backups during commuting hours, as negotiated with the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Grigsby said work opening the pipe is going on this week with the expectation that a new liner will be installed either the evening of Nov. 16 or Nov. 17.
Grigsby said it was decided to install the new liners on a Friday or Saturday night in case the contractor needed more time than would be allowed before the morning commute needs to begin.
The original project bid was $490,748, but Grigsby said the city will be pursuing “liquidated damages” of up to $500 per day for the overruns and additional closures. Grigsby said the number was a standard accepted by the American Public Works Association and the state of Washington.
“Liquidated damages will be assessed,” he said.
But while work continues on the westernmost portion of the pipe, Grigsby said the rest of the project was completed and accepted by the city.
“Once that final section is done… then that contract is complete,” he said.
