Ongoing work on Learning Lane in Fredericksburg is now expected to be completed by April 11, city officials announced Thursday.
The road, which leads from Route 1 to Lafayette Elementary and Walker-Grant Middle schools, was shut down in July after culvert pipes underneath the roadway were deemed to be failing. Heavy rainfall in the spring caused runoff from an adjacent car dealership, contributing to the rapidly deteriorating state of the pipes and surrounding area.
Emergency work on the road originally was expected to be finished in October, but the project has faced delays due to extreme weather conditions, excessively wet and unsuitable soils, and the complexity of fabricating engineered concrete endwalls, Thursday’s statement said.
As it stands now, more than half of the required new stormwater culvert pipes have been installed, totaling 480 linear feet so far, along with the completion of sanitary sewer rerouting and downstream concrete endwall installation.
It also was discovered that soils previously tested as a reusable material are unsuitable for the structural integrity of the project. So suitable replacement soil is being brought on site to provide structurally sound material around the culverts and under the new road.
Pipe installation will continue through March, and final bank restoration, seeding and paving are scheduled for early April.
The relocation and removal of a sanitary sewer main was completed in October. This adjustment improved the long-term integrity of the sanitary sewer system and stormwater drainage.
“The city acknowledges the significant inconvenience caused by this project, particularly to nearby schools and neighborhoods affected by detour routes, as this essential project progresses,” Thursday’s announcement said.
Other recent stormwater infrastructure repairs/rehabilitations in Fredericksburg include completion of a new 54-inch storm drainage relining between Kingsmill and Twin Lake Drive, completion of a new stormwater culvert relining at Stonewall Drive, completion of a 15-inch stormwater repair and culvert relining at Morningside Drive, and completion of design on a William Street drainage ditch repair just west of Emancipation Highway.
For further updates, please call 540-372-1010 or visit https://fredericksburgva.gov/LearningLane.
