Weaver Street construction rolls forward smoothly

Though traffic patterns have slowed and construction orange sometimes fills the landscape, Weaver Street’s makeover is progressing on schedule and posing few problems for residents and business owners.

Since the project started March 7, there have been few, if any, kinks in the scheduled plan, said Carrboro Public Works Director George Seiz.

“So far, construction has been pretty good,” he said. “The contractor has been able to work from the scheduled start date, and the weather has been good the first three weeks.”

Local businesses, residents and shoppers are finding ways to work around the construction.

Ghazaleh Samandari, who often shops at Carr Mill Mall, said East Main Street traffic backs up in the afternoon, causing her to rethink her transportation options.

“It has caused me to rearrange my travel schedule,” she said. “But I live nearby, so I can walk.”

Dean Tomlinson, manager of Armadillo Grill on East Main Street, said his business hasn’t seen any drastic changes.

“The construction hasn’t affected us any more than the weather,” he said. “We have so much pedestrian traffic in this area, so it hasn’t changed too much.”

The Durham-based contractor Hannah Utilities is handling the project after bidding the lowest, pitching a cost of about $1 million.

Seiz said this estimate is part of a unit price contract, meaning the final price is contingent upon the amount of materials actually used by the contractor.

Seiz said the contractor has a small length of water pipeline to install on East Weaver Street — adjacent to Carr Mill Mall and Weaver Street Market — after which crews will test the installed water main’s pressure.

“There are two facets to the project,” said Seiz. “There is the water main replacement, and then coming back to replace the street and adding new drains.”

Once the east water main is fully installed and tested, water main construction will continue on to West Weaver Street, between North Greensboro Street and West Main Street.

At that point, the east portion will be fully closed to traffic in order to allow for the replacement of the road and installation of new storm drains.

Work on the water pipes of West Weaver Street will only begin after water main work is completely finished on the east block.

Although there is no specific date for work to start on the west block, Seiz said the town will notify businesses and residents through its website and a press release.

The contractor will divide work on West Weaver Street into four stages, compared to one stage for the shorter east portion.

“All this is being done to minimize closure time in front of any particular business,” said Seiz.

As for a completion date, Seiz said that there is no specific day in mind, but it should take approximately a year from the starting date.

Samandari was positive about the future effects of the construction.

“Ultimately it will help improve infrastructure, and hopefully encourage people to find alternate forms of transportation,” she said.

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