County to install larger water lines for Riverside homes near Wright-Patt

RIVERSIDE — An estimated $5.55 million Montgomery County project to install larger water lines in Riverside is expected to start later this month.

The first of three phases to replace about 3.5 miles of aging lines — many of which are more than 65 years old — should start the week of July 25, Montgomery County Senior Engineer Ed Schlaack said.

The first part of construction, estimated to cost $1.955 million, will include a residential neighborhood just south of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and Airway Shopping Center, he said.

About 8,400 feet of new, eight-inch water lines expected to improve flow will be put in along Bayside Drive, Gramercy Drive, Ellendale Court, Orinoco Street, Denny Lane and Pandora Drive, records show.

Credit: STAFF

Credit: STAFF

The work to replace six-inch pipe on those streets is receiving $1.147 million in low interest loans — plus grant money — from the state because the current system has a history of service interruptions, Schlaack said.

“What we’re trying to do is take aged pipe that has shown to have a bunch of breaks,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is eliminate the outages for our customers and replace it so that we’re not constantly fixing it.”

The county’s infrastructure work is a welcome investment for Riverside, according to City Manager Josh Rauch.

“It helps ensure our residents … have a reliable, clean water supply for the coming years and decades,” he said in an email.

No roadway work will be performed, Riverside Public Service Director Kathy Bartlett said.

The project’s phase I is targeted for a spring 2023 completion and should have minor neighborhood traffic impact, but may it include “a slight disruption” on Burkhardt Road, Schlaack said.

Phase II, now estimated to cost $2.187 million, will likely start next year, he said. It will include Barrett Drive, Enright Avenue and other streets near Beverly Gardens Elementary School.

State funding has been approved for that portion of work, which will involve about 8,000 feet of new lines, according to Schlaack.

The final phase, estimated to cost $1.413 million, will include about 2,500 feet of new lines and focus on Spinning Road, he said. Funding assistance has not yet been sought for that portion, Schlaack said.

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