Project Background & Summary
Newcastle maintains over 35 miles of stormwater pipes, mostly located under our streets. Many of these pipes are reaching the end of their life. Some are 70 years old! When pipes under the street fail, they can cause sinkholes, damage roadways, inconvenience residents, and harm our environment. In May of 2017, a stormwater pipe on SE 73rd Place failed and caused a sinkhole.
The sinkhole and emergency repair of the pipe and roadway forced Newcastle to close the road. The repair cost $46,000 plus many hours of staff time and it inconvenienced residents and roadway users. To prevent pipe failure in the future, Newcastle created the Storm Pipe Rehabilitation Program (S-038). The program proactively evaluates existing pipes, prolongs the life of aging pipes and repairs damaged pipes to prevent catastrophic failures. The S-038 program reduces hazards, prevents flooding and pollution, and saves rate payers money by preventing costly emergency repairs.