City Of Portland: Fore Street - Eastern Promenade Construction Notice

Press release from the City of Portland:

August 2, 2021

July 30, 2021

Dear Resident:

The City of Portland Department of Public Works would like to update you on the status of the Fore Street-Eastern Promenade Sewer Separation Project. The project was successfully bid in May of 2021 and a contract has been awarded to Gorham Sand and Gravel of Buxton, ME at a contract price of $3,993,220.87. Construction is anticipated to commence the week of August 16th, 2021.

The project will install a new stormwater drainage system within Fore Street and Eastern Promenade from 100 Fore Street to Morning Street. The new storm drain system will be connected to a 60-inch stormwater outfall pipe which was recently completed as part of the Thames Street Extension and Munjoy Stormwater Outfall Project. The current sewer system within the project area is a combined sewer system which conveys both wastewater and stormwater flows. During dry weather conditions, wastewater from the combined system flows to the East End Wastewater Treatment Plant and receives treatment prior to flowing into the bay. During certain high intensity rain storms the flow capacity in the combined system is exceeded. This causes combined sewer overflows (CSO) to occur sending untreated wastewater, mixed with stormwater, into Casco Bay near the Portland International Marine Terminal. This project will remove a significant amount of stormwater out of the combined system and is anticipated to greatly reduce CSO activity at location #23, which as previously mentioned discharges into Portland Harbor near the Portland International Marine Terminal. The project will also include pedestrian crosswalk and ramp improvements in order to provide ADA compliance at each intersection within the project zone. New pavement will be installed from curb to curb at the conclusion of the project. Please visit the project’s website (link listed below) for further description of the project.

The City is teaming up with the Portland Water District for this project. The District will be replacing their cast iron water main as part of the project from Mountfort Street to Morning Street. PWD has a separate contract with Gorham Sand and Gravel to complete the water main replacement work. Any questions regarding the water main work should be directed to PWD.

The attached map will assist in defining the project boundaries.

The preliminary schedule for the first month of the project is listed below. Please note that this schedule is tentative and subject to change.

Week of August 16th: The contractor will mobilize to the site and setup project traffic control devices.

Portland Water District watermain replacement will begin near Mounfort Street.

Week of August 23rd thru September 24th: The contractor will install watermain between Mountfort Street and Waterville Street.

Project work is scheduled to be substantially completed by October 2022. Weekly schedule and project updates will be provided on the City’s project website.

Project website link:

https://www.portlandmaine.gov/2705/Fore-Street---Eastern-Promenade-Sewer-Se

Project work will typically run from Monday thru Friday between 7:00am and 7:00pm. The contractor will be required to keep driveway access open to all driveways unless it is necessary to close in order to complete a section of the work. If the contractor needs to interrupt driveway access sufficient notice will be given prior to the disruption.

Drivers and residents should expect lane closures and traffic delays on all project streets during construction hours. As work progresses into different areas, traffic control will change accordingly.

Please watch for the signage and drive slowly through the work zone to ensure your safety and the safety of the project staff. Please be sure to check the City’s website regularly for project traffic updates.

During the project the streets will be posted “No Parking” as necessary during construction activities. This is done to protect your vehicles and to make moving around the site easier and safer for the contractor. We restrict parking only when absolutely necessary, so please make sure you read the signs.

Vehicles will be towed if in violation. If your vehicles can’t be parked off the road we would suggest you park on one of the adjacent streets and walk to your home. You will have access to driveways on a daily basis. The contactor will be stockpiling necessary materials for the project along the side of the road within the City right of way. The contractor will be using heavy equipment during the project. We ask you to use caution when driving through the work zones and be aware of equipment and personnel for the safety of all. Please note that the parking restrictions on Fore Street and Eastern Promenade are expected to be significant. The City of Portland DPW is asking residents to plan accordingly.

Sebago Technics will be providing inspection services for the City and will be onsite daily. The project inspector will be available to help assist with any issues which may come up during construction on a daily basis.

Trash and recycling pickup for all streets will remain the same. Please make sure both trash and recycling are at your curb by 6:00 am.

We apologize in advance for any inconveniences that this construction may cause and thank you for your patience during this period as the City completes this important water resources infrastructure project.

If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact the City. Justin Pellerin can be reached at 212 Canco Road, Ste B, Portland, Maine 04103, 207-874-8828 or JRP@Portlandmaine.gov.

This press release was produced by the City of Portland. The views expressed here are the author’s own.