By Martin Couch
There have been some milestones that have been reached in the resolution of the Forest Cove watershed area off of Highway 5 in Bryant, according to Bryant City Engineer Richard Penn.
The area is notorious for flooding during heavy rains and has been a problem area for floods. The Bryant Street Department announced it has completed Hidden Creek Drive and received approval for the purchase of all box culverts recommended by FTN for Forest Cove Area Watershed. In addition, FTN has completed the hydraulic analysis and prepared an executive summary for the Watershed.[more]
All of those events had already taken place, but the total objective has been an ongoing process.
So far, all box culverts for the 50-year design flow are installed and operational in Sunset Meadows. Design for Westpointe Phase III (Independence Drive and Sedgefield Drive) drainage improvements is 100 percent ready to bid.
The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department has placed the Highway 5 bridge replacement project on its 2010-2013 statewide transportation improvement plan. The recently approved STIP provided for letting a contract for construction begins in 2011.
New to the project is a grant application through the Central Arkansas Planning and Development Department and ADEM for improvements to the stream section from Forest Drive to Ashlea Place and for Henson Place south crossing to Highway 5. It is still being developed.
A total project value of $303,898 is available on a 75/25 basis. The City of Bryant will be responsible for a match of approximately $76,000. FTN will support development of the application with technical information to reduce the flooding potential. The award is based on flood damages.
"Toward the Forest Cove area watershed, the grant is a new advance in this project during the last month," Penn said. "The grant application through CAPDD is still in process and we have a great chance of receiving that, but it requires a match. The grant contract for $376,000 is in our hands now."
The City Council also approved a match of $18,084 for grant from the AEDC and for the cost of engineering from FTN of $30,500 for a street project that was awarded on the merit of restoring emergency vehicle accessibility to Forest Cove to Highway 5.
In Augusta Cove, a concrete barrier was set at the curb line where the new temporary ditch crosses the street because of safety issues. The existing temporary culvert needs to be replaced with concrete pipe in order to stabilize the road, according to the street report.
Rodeo Drive short-term improvements Phases 1 and 2 are completed and asphalt shims have been completed at the Four Crossings in Sunset Meadows. Driveway replacements due to construction damage are complete, as are repairs to sodded lawns in the area.
Stormwater drainage improvements for the Meadowlake area and Crooked Creek were also updated to the City Council in the last meeting.
"In the Meadow Lake area, the street department's removal of spoil on the Wallace property — two-thirds of that project as far as removal of spoil material is done and we are currently working in Ms. William's field to complete that," Penn said. "It is a little messy right now with all the rain, but we hope to be done very soon with the removal of this spoil and debris. Then we can continue to look for funding to go back in and slope the sides in the stabilization process that was ordered.
“We are making progress and are in good shape right now and we will minimize the time for that clean up," he added.
FTN has organized this mandated restorative activity into three phases and the estimated cost for engineering and surveying, construction materials and labor of $195,000 was approved by the City Council. The street department has also constructed most of the access road from the end of Waterford to the stream and FTN has finalized the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan.
Roger Dodds will be preparing a “scope of work” for Crooked Creek from the Reynolds Road area to a point near the city's pump station No. 5 on Shobe Road. The report says, this will allow analysis and recommendations for drainage improvements in Pikewood, Carywood, Raintree, Bryant Oaks, Image Oaks and Mills Park. There is no deadline set for the study at this time.
A 100-foot long section of stream bank along Cox Canal was remediated during November of last year and the street department has repaired a fence for Ron Wallace where these stabilization measures were installed.
"I inspected a portion of stream on the Wallace property with Mr. Wallace," Penn said in the report. "The street department is completing the removal of spoil from Ferguson's field. Removal of the spoil on the Wallace property is complete as of Aug. 31 and is ready for seeding. Removal of spoil on the levee is underway on the Williams' hay field."
