Louisville and Oakland Sewer Relief (Project #12741)

As part of a long-term effort to reduce basement backups and sewer overflows, MSD Project Clear is replacing approximately 1,800 feet of sewer in the City of St. Louis. The Louisville and Oakland Swewer Relief project will increase the size of the combined sewer which will reduce basement backups and prevent sewer overflows in this area.

Please note that the schedule for this project was delayed since the recording of this meeting. Please find the most up-to-date schedule information below under “When will construction take place?”

Since the recording of the below meeting, the traffic mitigation plan was revised to include closing all through traffic on Oakland Avenue between Tamm Avenue and Louisville Avenue. This closure began on December 12, 2022 with an estimated duration of 8-10 weeks, depending on the weather. This closure does not include local traffic or emergency vehicles.

Download the presentation slides.

• MSD Project Clear is replacing and upsizing approximately 1,000 feet of sewer.
• The pipe size will increase to 12 to 36-inches in diameter allowing a larger amount of water to flow through the system.
• MSD Project Clear is also installing approximately 800 feet of 96-inch diameter pipe as additional underground storage. This will add additional capacity during rain events and reduce the likelihood of basement backups and sewer overflows.

MSD is investing approximately $2,580,000 into this neighborhood with this project to alleviate basement backups and clean up our local waterways.

As part of their evaluation, our team of engineers determined that the sewer in this neighborhood is undersized. During intense rainfall, the sewers become overloaded, leading to basement backups and wastewater overflows into local waterways.

MSD’s contractor, Gershenson Construction Company, will install the pipe by digging through the surface, a process known as “open-cut.” The contractor will dig a trench several feet into the ground, remove the old sewer pipe, and replace it with a newer, larger pipe. They will work section-by-section and will fill completed sections with gravel or cover it with a steel plate to reduce traffic disruptions.

With any construction, residents can expect to see and hear heavy equipment during the sewer excavation process. The pictures above depict what a neighborhood will look like before, during, and after a typical project.

Because much of the construction takes place in the roadway, customers may experience lane restrictions or temporary road closures during working hours. Oakland Avenue will be closed to through traffic between Tamm Avenue and Louisville Avenue starting on December 12, 2022, with an estimated duration of 8-10 weeks, depending on the weather. This closure does not include local traffic or emergency vehicles. Street parking will be unavailable during construction. MSD will have a traffic mitigation plan to ensure residents have access to homes and businesses.

During the time that MSD’s contractor is disconnecting a property’s lateral from the current sewer pipe and reconnecting it to the new pipe, they may ask customers to limit water use. In general, this process can take between two to five hours, depending on the complexity of the connection. The contractor will notify property owners in advance.

After the contractor installs all new pipes, they will restore the construction site according to all local and District requirements. This could include sodding disturbed areas, replacing disturbed pavement, reinstalling fences, etc.

At least one MSD Inspector will be on-site part of the day for every day the contractor is working.

This is the current tentative project schedule. This is subject to change based on a variety of factors including weather.

• Construction start: December 2022
• Estimation construction duration: 9-12 months

After all new sewer pipes are installed, the contractor will restore the construction site according to all District and local requirements. This could include sodding any disturbed areas, replacing disturbed pavement, reinstalling fences, etc.

Have any more questions? Contact the Project Manager.

• Project Map
• Public Meeting Notification Letter – June 14, 2022
• Public Meeting Presentation – June 14, 2022

This section will be updated with documents as they become available.

Mark Dietiker, Project Manager
mdietiker@stlmsd.com
314-768-6380