Question/answer
Last week, the Westside Pioneer posed the question below to Colorado Springs Public Works. The written response from
Saleem Khattak, city Street Division manager, appears after the question.
Q: There was an incident this past weekend on the Westside where a water line under an alley broke. Evidently a lot of water and sewer lines run under alleys. A resident asked the question about what will happen in the future when the alleys are paved. Before paving, does the city make an effort to identify and replace underlying water or sewer lines that are old and potentially could break soon? Khattak: The Street Division is not responsible for the repairs or replacement of utility lines (i.e., water/wastewater lines, electric lines, gas mains, etc.). Colorado Springs Utilities manages and controls all utilities and schedules any repairs or upgrades necessary to those lines. As part of our project development and preparation work, we do take into account utility lines that may be in conflict with our specific alley paving or maintenance projects. We identify specific issues and coordinate with Springs Utilities before performing necessary paving or maintenance on those alleys. The only exception to the above is our stormwater infrastructure. Any pipes or drainage infrastructure that is impacted by the alley paving projects is the responsibility of the Street Division. Our drainage group responds directly to those needs and concerns. With regard to the question of “what will happen in the future when the alleys are paved,” we do not anticipate any significant impact on Utilities due to the paving operation. A good majority of the utility infrastructure is currently buried under the city's paved roadway system and is being serviced by the Springs Utilities without much difficulty. Paved alleys will pose no additional problems. Westside Pioneer article |