Nov. 6, 2020
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Please see the two maps that detail work in the following two weeks in Basin I (vicinity of the Duck Pond) and Basin II (vicinity of Southside Park).
Basin I (vicinity of Duck Pond)
As promised, construction in the entire Duck Pond/Jane Way area has increased with our greatest volume of drainage pipes being installed to date. The coffer dam was installed on the Spanish Moss Trail, allowing workers to replace the old sewer line and install the tidal flap gates. As many of you have noticed, the ditch from North Royal Oaks to Battery Creek, Coates and West Royal Oaks continues to be cleaned, graded, and shaped. The drainage system that is being installed is world class and will deliver the kind of results everyone in the area deserves.
Next week, work will continue in and around the Duck Pond, First Boulevard, and Jane Way. Major sewer, and water lines will be relocated, and First Boulevard will be prepared for the installation of massive 5-foot drainpipes that will drain water to the Duck Pond and out to the marsh. Work on the North Royal Oaks ditch and the Spanish Moss Trail will continue.
Motorists will have continued detours in and around the area. Barring weather-related delays, these detours will be in place for another 7-10 days. Also, during the next 7-10 days, there will be periodic interruptions of both water and sewer service. We expect these interruptions to be short, and in the overnight hours from roughly 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12. Special recognition goes out to the residents of the Jane Way and Duck Pond area for their patience.
Basin II (vicinity of Southside Park)
We are currently about 75% completed with the improvements in the Southside Park and Broad Street areas. Gulfstream Construction is installing the last section of pipes in the Lawton Farms Road area. Following the completion of the pipe installation, finishing work will include restoring the road and grading the ground for optimum drainage. Work on the Spanish Moss Trail in this basin is being done by another construction company, and we expect this section of the trail to be closed to traffic sometime next week while tidal gates and a reinforcing wall are installed. We are ahead of schedule in this area and on budget.
Safety!
Please avoid the Duck Pond/Jane Way area if possible. Disruptions and detours will be numerous. We regret the sheer number of detours and traffic disruptions, but contractors are working at the fastest pace possible to deliver the project as quickly as possible. We’ve got about another six weeks of really difficult work, but we are making great progress. Thanks for your continued patience. We are happy to report that we have a perfect safety record so far. Please continue to exercise extreme caution.
Stay informed
Please encourage all those affected or interested in the Mossy Oaks Project to register with the “Notify Me” application found on the City of Beaufort website (https://www.cityofbeaufort.org/list.aspx) and subscribe to the Mossy Oaks Stormwater Project updates. This is the mechanism to receive near real-time updates on the project to include urgent issues like unscheduled road closures or utility interruptions.
On a separate note, next week the U.S. Marine Corps will celebrate its 245th anniversary on Nov. 10, and on Nov. 11, we will all recognize Veterans Day.
Have a fantastic week!
Neal Pugliese, Col USMC (Ret)
Chairman
Mossy Oaks Multijurisdictional Drainage Task Force
npugliese@cityofbeaufort.org