Construction Process

What to Expect Before, During, and After Construction

These projects include adding new water, sewer, and irrigation lines that will connect to your property. To make these improvements, there will be active construction throughout your neighborhood. Construction will take place on many area streets, and while every effort will be made to minimize impacts, residents and businesses will experience some inconvenience.  Construction crews will work to maintain direct roadway access to residents and businesses as much as possible.

Here is what you can expect during construction:

• Large trucks will transport pipes, supplies, and construction equipment to the staging site and storage areas.
• Asphalt roads will be removed.
• Crews will be on-site installing pipes.
• Excavators and crews will dig trenches and trench boxes installed.
• De-watering pumps will be activated.

During construction, please ensure safety by maintaining a safe distance from construction areas and discourage children from approaching construction equipment.

We want to help you understand how the improvements are being constructed and what to expect during the construction process. There are three new pipelines that will be installed: sewer, water, and irrigation.  The new sewer lines are placed in the center of the street, while water and irrigation lines are placed within the right of way on either side of the road. Stormwater pipes will also be installed within the right of way on both sides of the road to improve drainage along the roadway.

The pipes being installed are different colors and sizes, depending on their function.

          Irrigation Water Pipes                                              Gravity Sewer Pipes

          Stormwater Pipes

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Here is how it is done….

Before Construction

Identify Right of Way and Underground Utilities

Prior to the start of construction, you may see survey crews in your neighborhood. Crews identify the right of way as well as the location of underground utilities such as water, sewer, phone, and cable.  Flags are placed along the roadway to mark the right of way.

 Working from data obtained by surveyors, the contractor, and utility operators, along with 811 "Call Before You Dig," mark any underground lines and/or pipes that are in or near the path of construction. This process locates the lines that need to be replaced or temporarily relocated during construction and helps to ensure the remaining underground lines are not damaged during construction.

 If your property has any landscape materials, trees, shrubs, decorative fencing, etc., located within the right of way that will conflict with construction, the contractor will contact you regarding the conflict. Typically, items within the right of way that present a conflict must be removed within 60 days of notification of the conflict. If they are not removed, the contractor is authorized to remove and dispose of any of those items in the way of construction, per City Ordinance 83-93.

Preparation of the Construction Site

Grass and Asphalt Roadways

To prepare for the installation of water and sewer pipes, crews will remove the existing grass and asphalt from the pipeline route. Both the grass and asphalt will be restored once all of the installations is complete.

 Note: roads will remain without asphalt until all three pipes are installed and the testing of the pipes is complete.

 You can expect the road near your house or business will be without asphalt for three to six months, weather permitting. While under construction, the roadways will be fully functional and maintained, including periodically spraying them with water to reduce dust. Access to your home or business will be maintained, but temporary road closures and detours around the work zone may be necessary.

Groundwater must be removed to create a dry work area for crews and for underground pipe installation. Removing the groundwater is necessary so trenches can be safely built and pipes can be installed. De-watering systems include a generator-fueled pump and PVC pipe system, which runs parallel to the roadway. The water is pumped into the PVC pipes and transported away from the work zone and put back into the ground through swales and catch basins.

 Once installed, the pumps may need to run day and night to keep the site dry. The times and duration of the pumping will vary due to the amount of water that needs to be removed. While we understand that noise will occur during the de-watering process, we will do our best to minimize the sound.

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Construction

Installation of the sewer system

Sewer systems transport wastewater and solid waste from houses and businesses to treatment or disposal areas. The new sewer pipes will be located under the center of the roadway.

To install the pipes, trenches are dug in the center of the roadway after the asphalt is removed. The depths the pipes are installed range from 6 feet to 24 feet. This process requires the use of heavy machinery and restricts traffic flow through the work zone.

Detours may be necessary to direct motorists around the work zone and ensure the safety of the construction crews and motorists. This work also could disrupt trash collection and mail service for a day or two. Construction staff has been in contact with the U.S. Postal Service and Waste Pro. Arrangements are being made to minimize any disruption in service. In most cases, trash will be collected the day following the interrupted service day. Additionally, if driveway access is temporarily unavailable, a construction representative will attempt to notify residents at home with an informational flier and personal visit the day before the anticipated closure.

Driveway removal

To prepare for the irrigation and potable (drinking) water pipe installations, grass within the right of way to the roadway along with the portion of the driveway that lies within the right of way will be removed.

For brick, painted or stamped driveways, a construction representative will contact the resident and attempt to work under the driveway.

A construction representative will attempt to notify residents at home one day in advance of construction activities that may affect driveway access. Mailboxes may temporarily be removed and trash service disrupted. Construction representatives will coordinate with the U.S. Postal Service and Waste Pro to  re-establish the service as soon as possible.

Installation of the irrigation water system

Reclaimed or recycled water irrigation systems will transport highly treated wastewater to homes for use in watering landscaping only. Irrigation pipes will be installed in the right of way parallel to the roadway.

Installation of drinking (potable) water system

The contractor will install water service pipes from the right-of-way to the new water system. Once the project is complete, residents will contact their plumber to connect these lines to the home. You can find a list of active licensed plumbers under how to connect. 

Service lines to house or business

Once the water, sewer and irrigation pipes are installed under and along the roadway, the contractor will install service pipes. These lateral pipes will connect the main pipes to the meter boxes, which are located in the right-of-way and for future homes to be connected by a plumber. 

Testing of the overall pipeline system takes place before the road is rebuilt. This is to ensure everything is safe and operational before the asphalt is placed over the new pipelines. During this time, there may be less construction activity while the system testing is being conducted at various locations throughout the neighborhood.

Roads/Pavement Replacement

Rebuild roads

As the project approaches completion, crews will rebuild and pave the roads.

Road replacement takes several steps:

• Crews prepare the surface by leveling it with grading equipment
• Aggregate base made of limerock is placed evenly on the road surface
• Asphalt primer is placed in layers on top of the limerock
• Black tack surface is placed on top of the asphalt primer
• Permanent skid resistant asphalt is placed
• Roadway markings are  painted on the road

Drainage improvements

Once the pipes are installed, the ditches along the roadway will be graded and swales will be constructed. This system will provide the necessary stormwater drainage for the roadway.

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Restoration

Driveways, grass, sprinkler systems, mailboxes and more

When testing is complete and construction crews have removed most of the large equipment, the final restoration process begins.

As part of the restoration, crews will rebuild driveways and lay new sod.  Mailboxes and residential irrigation systems will also be restored at no cost to homeowners.

Connection

Time to connect

When the work is done and the system is online, homeowners will receive a “Notice of Availability” from the City and must connect to the new system within 180 days. To connect to the service you will need a water meter. Property owners or their plumbing contractor can obtain a permit. A 5/8” water meter for a typical residential home can be secured on the first floor of Cape Coral City Hall at the Customer Billing Services - Water/Sewer Division. The meter installation fee is $310. The utility account deposit is $100 and Septic Abandonment Permit Fee is $100. These fees must be paid prior to connecting to the new utilities. After payment(s) is made, the City will install the meter.

To eliminate the deposit fee, the City of Cape Coral requires a letter of good standing. Per City Code, the letter may come from any utility company, and must show a 24-month history with no late payments during the preceding 12 months.

To complete the connection to the new service, contact a local, City of Cape Coral licensed plumber. They will coordinate with you and explain the final procedure.

Questions: 

For more information about the Utilities Extension Project, please call 1-833-227-3837 (833-CAPE-UEP).

Please Note: Schedules may change due to inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances.

Thank you for your patience as we make these important improvements to your neighborhood and to the City of Cape Coral.


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