Academy Place Waterline Relocation Project
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Medford Water is relocating old waterlines from the alleys of the Academy Place neighborhood in coordination with a City of Medford sewer mains replacement project. These aging waterlines are beyond their service life, and relocation will replace them with new ones that will help preserve water service for residents in the future.
Project Description and Benefits
The City of Medford’s project will replace sewer mains in the alleys of the Academy Place neighborhood (Academy Place, Euclid Avenue, Reddy Avenue, and Queen Anne Avenue), requiring relocation of the waterlines that are currently in use there. These waterlines were originally installed between 1911 and 1926, and relocating them from the alleys to the streets has the added benefit of replacing these aging lines.
Medford Water will be working with the City as well as independent, licensed contractors to complete this work; we will work hard to communicate with customers and minimize intermittent disruptions to traffic and water service as much as possible.
The existing water mains in the alleys between the following streets will be abandoned and no longer functional: East Main Street and Euclid Avenue, Reddy Avenue and Euclid Avenue, and Queen Anne Avenue and Reddy Avenue. Additional project description information is available here.
Project Map
Map of waterlines to be relocated, as well as the proposed new mains. Click here to view the map full size.
Estimated Project Schedule
Medford Water started the design of these improvements in September 2022, starting with a professional survey of the roads and utilities while a Professional Engineer designs the improvements to our water system. Construction began in late July 2023, and the work taking place in the public right of way is complete.
Most properties have been switched to their newly-located meters, with the exception of those on Euclid Avenue; work on Euclid will begin on September 25th, 2023, and we anticipate having all Euclid properties swapped over by the end of October.
Project Documents
An Academy Place Project Description and FAQs are available here.
Project Updates/News
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Update
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| January 30, 2023 |
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Topographic survey is complete, and we are currently reviewing preliminary plans from our design engineer; the project is progressing well and on schedule for construction this summer. Medford Water staff and our contracted plumber have met with every affected property owner to discuss the new location of their private service lines and the placement of the new water meters, looking at each property carefully to determine the water line routing that is the least disruptive to landscaping and tree roots and the best connection point to the existing plumbing systems.
We expect to have the design complete by the end of February 2023 and anticipate bidding the project in March/April 2023. Due to the proximity to Roosevelt Elementary School and related traffic, most of the construction will occur when school is out, between June 9th and early September. |
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| February 24, 2023 |
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After completing a preliminary walkthrough of all affected properties, Medford Water staff will be contacting property owners to confirm the location of their proposed new waterline and meter box. The location of both have been chosen to minimize impacts to property and landscaping. All private plumbing work will be accomplished by Medford Water’s contracted plumber, to Medford building code standards, and permitted/inspected by the City of Medford. |
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| April 24, 2023 |
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The project continues to move forward as scheduled; the process of seeking contractors to complete the work according to our engineered plans and specifications began April 4th, and bids are due May 2nd. Medford Water staff expects to present the bid results to the Board of Water Commissioners for contract approval at their regular meeting on May 17th. We are still anticipating construction to begin this summer, with completion in September of this year. |
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| June 20, 2023 |
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A contract has been awarded to Central Pipeline to install the new water lines in Euclid Ave., Reddy Ave., Queen Anne Ave., and Academy Pl., replacing existing water lines in the alleys between these streets. Many homes in the area will require new private-side plumbing reconnections, connecting them to new meters located at the front of the lots; SOS Plumbing will complete this work. |
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| July 7, 2023 |
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Neighborhood residents will begin seeing work on the project soon. The contractor, Central Pipeline, plans to begin mobilizing on July 13. The first phase of work will begin with installing new water mains in the streets, generally progressing from Main St. towards Queen Anne Ave. We do not expect your water service to be affected during this phase of work, but traffic impacts, in addition to typical construction disruptions and noises will occur. Work to relocate your water meter (if applicable) will happen at a later date and you will be notified prior to that work beginning. |
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| August 16, 2023 |
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E. Main Street will be closed between Academy Place and Keene Way Drive on August 17 and 18, from approximately 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Detours will be in place to route traffic; dates and times are subject to change.
Please see the Estimated Project Schedule above for the tentative schedule of remaining work within the public right of way. |
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| August 23, 2023 |
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E. Main Street will be closed near Academy Place on August 23 and 24, from approximately 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., as part of our Academy Place Waterline Relocation Project. Detours will be in place; dates and times are subject to change. |
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| September 25,2023 |
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The work within the streets and public right-of-way is complete; the contractor will continue to complete miscellaneous repairs and general clean up in the project area. Our plumbing contractor continues to work with individual property owners to connect private plumbing to the new water meters. Most properties have been switched to the new meters with the exception of those on Euclid Avenue. Work on Euclid will begin on 9/25/23, and we anticipate having all Euclid properties swapped over by the end of October. After all of the plumbing work is complete, we will work in the area to complete the abandonment of the old water mains. |
Related Projects
We will provide related information on the City of Medford's sewer line project when it becomes available.
Contact
Kevin Caldwell, PMP
Project Manager
(541) 774-2469
Email
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Water for the Next Century. |
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