The Shadow
Having replaced a waterline valve under Ridgeway St. in Clifton Forge, Atkins Excavating, Inc. moved to Main St. and began working to replace another waterline valve on Wed., Nov. 16.
According to Town Manager Charles “Chuck” Unroe, once the waterline valve has been replaced on Main Street, the rest of the repairs will be downhill near the Alleghany Building where water will be shut off for a short period of time to allow the repairs to be made.
Sarah Cook, water resources project coordinator for the Thrasher Group from Beaver, W.Va., noted that Atkins Excavating, Inc. is located in Greenville, Va. Thrasher Group is in charge of the overall project.
On Nov. 16, Tim Marcum, one of the workers for Atkins Excavating, was working to repair the westbound lane of Main St. in front of the Clifton Forge Antique Mall while a temporary traffic signal light that had been placed on the opposite side of Main St. near the First Citizens Bank controlled the traffic flow.
The waterline repair project has been delayed by the supply chain interruption that prevented the Thrasher Group from receiving the necessary delivery of American steel for several weeks.
Further delays occurred after unexpected problems were encountered following the digging that took place on Ridgeway St., problems that required more work to be completed than expected.
Unroe revealed at the Clifton Forge Town Council’s meeting on Wed., Nov. 9 that new pipe would be installed with the new waterline valve under Ridgeway St. because the pipe that was dug up had several patches in it and had deteriorated to the point that more water leaks would likely occur if those pipes were not replaced.
He observed that it would save the Town money by replacing the pipes, and for several days, a detour around Ridgeway Street guided traffic away from the repairs being completed on Ridgeway St.
