Sharpsburg sewer line work extended through spring

Sewer work along Clay Street in Sharpsburg will extend longer than expected.

The $566,000 sewer separation was expected to wrap up by early January but will carry on until spring, ALCOSAN Director of Communications Joseph Vallarian said.

He did not offer specifics on what caused the delay.

The project shut down a portion of Clay Street in September for daytime work. It targets the section between Sixth and Eighth streets, from the Sharpsburg Family Worship Center to St. Juan Diego Parish.

“Sewer separation will increase line capacity,” Councilman Jon Jaso said. “Once it’s done, it will be great, especially before the spring and early-summer rain storms.”

Construction is part of a larger project along Ravine Street that is being coordinated by PennDOT.

That work is a sewer separation that stretches from High Street to the Allegheny River. A new pipe will divert water to the river from the ALCOSAN system to help mitigate flooding.

The dual projects will ease the amount of overflows caused by heavy storms.

“This project (alone) won’t directly impact overflow reduction, but once completed and the Ravine St. project is completed, then we will realize overflow reduction,” Vallarian said.

The combined projects are expected to erase more than 6 million gallons in overflows from the area.

Jaso said past storms have caused rain water to rush down Ravine Street and quickly flood the lower areas of the borough.

The problems are particularly bad near Sixth and Clay streets.

The Ravine Street work is expected to cost $3.5 million.