Project Update – May 30, 2019

If you spend much time downtown, then you've probably noticed that it seems like construction is affecting nearly every City block.  While that isn't exactly the case, there are quite a few ongoing projects downtown.

Underground utility construction is complicated.  Water, sewer, stormwater, electric, gas, telephone, and fiber lines criss-cross each other in a very small public right-of-way.  With streets as old as Lynchburg's, even though we try to map what's underground, we often don't know what is located where until we excavate the street.  In many of our blocks, Appalachian Power has excavated an area and found water or sewer or other utility lines that weren't on a map.  This isn't uncommon, but it does cause delays and affect a job's timeline.

We, at the City and Appalachian Power, want to thank everyone for their patience while we complete all the work that needs to be done on these side streets before we begin construction on Main Street.  Between the electrical system upgrades and the needs of private development, we're committed to working as efficiently as possible to make it easier for you to navigate downtown once Main Street is under construction. 

Progress is messy, but we're looking forward to a beautiful and renewed Downtown Lynchburg!

Eleventh Street Vault

Although work began on Eleventh Street on Monday, April 22, two weeks ago we discovered an unexpected sewer line in the middle of the street.  This sewer line will be extremely costly to move, so the City and Appalachian Power are working on determining an alternative location for this important electrical vault.

Although you won't see crews working on Eleventh Street at this time, the street is still closed to through-traffic while the excavated area is exposed.  We hope to have more updates on how construction might progress in this block in the coming week.

Please note: if you need to access a the Shewels' parking lot or the 100 Church Street parking lot, you can still do so at any time.  

Tenth Street Vault

As of this week CCS (Appalachian Power's contractor) has completed work on two of the three electrical vaults located on Tenth Street.  Two new vault tops have been poured and excavation began to install an entirely new vault located near the corner of Tenth Street and Main Street.

Construction on this block began on April 29 and the street is closed to through-traffic.  However, the on-street handicap parking on Tenth Street is still available for those needing to access City Hall and all parking lots located off Tenth Street are available to permitted vehicles.
 
This project is on-schedule and is expected to be completed by mid/late-July.

Ninth Street Vault

On Monday, May 20, Appalachian Power began work on Ninth Street between Commerce Street and Main Street.  This crew was originally scheduled to work on Eleventh Street, but with the underground utility complication delaying Eleventh Street, we decided to begin work on this crucial block ahead of time.

In this block, crews will install a new underground electrical vault near the intersection of Ninth Street and Main Street.  

The project will take approximately eight weeks to complete and the street should be reopened by mid/late-July.