West Windsor experienced some major traffic problems as a result of the Nor’easter on April 23. Some township roads have not fully recovered, and remain closed.##M:[more]##
According to township engineer Jim Parvesse, a broken sewer pipe caused a portion of Wallace Road to wash out, forming a seven-foot sinkhole. The hole has not yet been fixed, and the public works department says work will begin on the road soon. It remains, surrounded by cones and barricades. The road has been re-opened.
At the corner of Alexander and Wallace roads, a manhole collapsed during the storm. Traffic flow has been diverted around the manhole cover while work on the area continues.
“We’re doing bypass pumping around that damage so we can still provide sewer service to that area,” said Parvesse. “This is a case where you have a system that is extremely old. It is over 20 years old, and in that time, a lot of acids build up in the sewer, and you get some eroding in the concrete. We will have to be proactive in sewer lines throughout the town, we have hundreds of manholes.”
The cost of fixing the sewer damage caused by the storm was originally estimated by the township to be $150,”000. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials said it could cost up to $500,”000.
The storm also caused damage to the Grover’s Mill Dam when the water level exceeded the height of the dam. The township estimates the cost of fixing the dam at $100,”000. FEMA agreed with the assessment.
The township has applied for aid from FEMA, and Parvesse says it is likely that the request will be granted. “We believe that we will get the aid.” said Parvesse. “I can’t say at this point what the exact amount of the aid will be. It’s possible we could get full reimbursement.”
According to James Yates, director of emergency services for the township, the amount of the allocation will not be known for months. The township must first fix the problems
Parvesse says the full amount of the repairs will not be known until the projects go out to bid. Before the projects go to bid, the work that is needed must be defined. At press time, the township public works department was in the process of cleaning debris from the affected parts of the sewer system. Yates says once that is done, a camera will be sent down the manhole and through the pipes to show the extent of the damage.
