Contractor crews have completed the bulk of the removal of HESCO bastions in the city, the City Engineer's Office announced in a press release Tuesday. Some sand remains in several areas waiting for drier weather to remove it to minimize damage to surrounding areas.
The contractor has split forces into two groups and may split them into three groups to facilitate sandbag and plastic removal. The work primarily will move from the south (East Business Loop area) to the north, but crews may be working throughout the James River and Pipestem Creek areas at any time over the next one to two weeks.
Some minor clay dike removal may begin this week, with the majority of the clay dike removal in the East Business Loop area anticipated in the next seven to 10 days. Grading, seeding and mulching are expected to begin in the next one to two weeks.
The city said work might move quickly and it might not possible to provide adequate public services announcements to keep up with cleanup. Residents are asked to give crews room to work.
The plans for roadway repairs and reconstruction of streets damaged by the dike construction and removal from the last two years are out for bids. The press release said not dates have been set but a start date is expected for mid-July to early August. Weather permitting, the city intends to complete all such repair work this year.
