Project could take weeks depending on weather

Work on a collapsed stormwater drain pipe is in progress in the area of Eighth and Ashtabula streets in Ironton.

Southern Ohio Trenching has contracted with the City of Ironton for the work, which will cost $125,000. The Ironton City Council approved the repair as an emergency in a specially called meeting late last month.

As of Tuesday, contractors were installing a junction box, which will collect storm water runoff from the streets and connect to the new storm drainpipe.

Workers expect to close a section of Eighth Street between Wyanoke and Ashtabula beginning Wednesday morning while they dig up the street to install the new pipe.

“People have been very cooperative,” Mayor Rich Blankenship said of residents and motorists driving in the area. “Hopefully they’ll have patience and let us correct the problem.”

The new pipe should cut down on water backup in the area, the mayor said. The old pipe had four 90-degree turns in it, which caused the water to back up into the streets. The new pipe will be angled instead of having sharp turns. The duration of the project could be a few weeks depending on the weather, Blankenship said.

“This is a large job,” he said, adding that the benefits of replacing the pipe outweigh the inconveniences the construction might cause.

“We certainly don’t want anyone flooded,” the mayor said. “We’re doing everything we can to prevent that.”