Sinkholes a real money pit for West Memphis

City to spend $1.8 million to fix lingering problem with deteriorated roads

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com The West Memphis Utility Commission has authorized a $1.8 million expense to repair three sinkholes along the southern part of the city. Sink holes on Woods at Jefferson, Seventh Street at Jefferson and Vanderbilt at West Walnut were blocked off to traffic and require unprecedented repair measures after high ground water after the record long flood stage on the river this year washed out a band of sandy soil undermining city effluent pipes.

“We worked these about seven years ago we were in the same area of Woods and Jefferson with the same issues and the problem is back,” said Utilities General manager Todd Pedersen.

“The city accepted the sole bid because of the expertise of contractor Chris Hill.

The shoring and foundation work are the big numbers on the project,” said Hill. “We are shoring 20 feet deep and there is a lot of sand in the soil making shoring critical. Transmission power lines are directly overhead creating an obstacle where we need to put shoring up.”

Pilings and shoring panels are lifted into the air for placement. The power lines make for a challenge.

“Our plan is to stabilize the soil all around where we are working, and that’s a big number,” said Hill.

“This is the first time we’ve used these pilings in West Memphis,” said Assistant Utilities Manager Ward Wimbish. “The soil in these areas is very unusual. They are lightly consolidated sand. Normally we’d be driving piles under the man holes. We’ve got roads there with the vibration from the pilings the bottom could fall out of them.”

Wimbish described the unique pilings selected to fix the sinkholes.

“These are like big screws,” said Wimbish.

“They are screwed in until they meet a certain resistance and these manholes will not go anywhere after this.”

Commissioner Jerry Burns noted the project would have an extra benefit. The city is currently under Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality for storm water infiltrating the sewer pipes. West Memphis utilities must demonstrate improvements to the inflow and infiltration (I & I) rates.

“This will help fix some of our I & I problems in the immediate area as well,” said Burns.

The huge expense was projected to exceed the line item amount in the utility Budget.

“We may have to go to the reserves to pay for this,” said Pedersen. “We have the reserves to do this but will make one budget amendment at the end of the project for the amount exceeding the budget.”

Commissioners capped the expenditures at the full bid amount.