Big rock stalls Madison Valley Stormwater project

The crews working on the Madison Valley Stormwater Project have put further tunneling on hold this week as they work to remove a large rock that is blocking their progress. You may have noticed traffic delays and more equipment in the area as they deal with the rock. We’ll check in to update more fully if it sounds like this is going to more seriously impact the project.

As you know, the Madison Valley Stormwater Project is well underway.  This week pipeline tunnel boring continued between Shaft 5, located at 28th Avenue E just north of E Madison Street, and Shaft 4, located at Martin Luther King Jr Way E and E Arthur Place.  

During boring on Monday afternoon, crews encountered a rock in this area.  SPU expected to encounter varying soil conditions and possible obstructions during construction, and during the project design stages we identified several ways of handling this type of situation.  Crews should be able to remove the obstruction over the next several days without the need for any major excavation.

Drivers near the intersection of E Madison Street and 28th Avenue E should be prepared for intermittent detours and brief lane restrictions as crews perform minor drilling and potholing necessary to locate and remove the obstruction without impacting adjacent utilities.  New equipment may be visible in this area as well.  Please adhere to signage and follow the direction of flaggers when traveling through the construction area.

Your continued patience and support of this project is greatly appreciated.  Please stay tuned for further email updates should details change.

   

0 thoughts on “Big rock stalls Madison Valley Stormwater project

  1. Back in 1979 or 1980 we were digging a new foundation for a house near 26th Ave. and East Roy just two blocks up hill from the storm water tunnel on 28th. When we encounter a rock . At first this smoothly polished stone seamed small but as the day then week went by it grew and grew until we uncovered 25 x 35 foot face that went under the very worried neighbors house. The thing was enormous and we never did see exactly how big it was but I did notice rock about another 40 feet away that could have part of it. Finally on third week the” beast” the stone had a name by then . We jacked up the house and poured the new foundation 7 feet higher than planed . Good Luck