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- Autumn Drive Reconstruction Project
Autumn Drive Reconstruction Project
One thing that the City of Early tries to do well is to listen the citizens, hear their requests or concerns and then work to resolve those issues and meet those requests. One of those requests that we have heard from our citizens about is the need for updated construction of Autumn Drive. The road itself is fairly old and was constructed several years ago. At the time, the road was constructed without curbs or gutters which causes issues for several home owners especially when it rains. The road sits higher than some of the properties, so rainwater has been known to run off into their yards causing standing water.
News Updates about Autumn Drive
Find up-to-date information about the Autumn Drive Reconstruction Project below
(11-15-23)
Reconstruction Update
Important Headline
- Excavation is complete
- Road base being installed
Excavation of the old road surface and sub-surface is complete. The contractor is now filling and building the new road base up. This will consist of 6-8 inches of new base material processed and rolled to compaction. Once this is complete, the concrete contractor will begin forming and pouring the curbs that will define the new roadway. In the coming weeks, there will be additional box culverts added to the south end of Autumn along Longhorn to extend the drainage both upstream and downstream from the road. This will allow for better grading of the final elevation along the intersection.
If you have any questions or would like more information on the construction process, please feel free to reach out to me any time.
Larry McConn
325-643-5451
(10-17-23)
Weekly Update
Important Headline
- Utility relocations are complete
- Contractor back on site cutting grades to correct elevations
After a longer than expected delay, the city crews have finished the utility relocations necessary to continue construction. Most of the water and sewer lines were installed in the 1970’s and 1980’s and the standards then were not as stringent as they are today. Many of the lines were only a foot or less under the surface of the road. As we work to improve drainage, it is necessary to lower the new road surface by 12”-18”. This requires us to remove 2-3 feet of existing dirt to achieve that. This led to the delay and resulting utility relocations.
The contractor will be continuing the excavation of the old road and dirt necessary to grade the new road. This process should be completed some time next week.
If you have any questions or would like more information on the construction process, please feel free to reach out to me any time.
Larry McConn
325-643-5451
(09-19-23)
Weekly Update
Important Headline
- Saturday 4” of rain in 3 hours
- Sewer relocation underway
Now that we are drying out from the week of much needed rain, our city crews are continuing to work on lowering the sewer line on the northern third of the street. They anticipate the sewer line project lasting most of this week, then the contractor will be back to continue his work excavating the roadway. In the beginning, I mentioned that there would be delays due to unknown depths of utility lines under the street. This is proving true as we move forward. From our exploration of future lines, we are hopeful that this sewer line is the last major setback on the project.
As always, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me.
Larry McConn
325-643-5451
(08-28-23)
Weekly Update
Important Headline
- Trash will be picked up early on 8/29. Please have your cans out before 7AM.
This week will be another busy week for the construction crew. The roadway excavation will continue. Please be mindful of workers and other cars as you travel. Crews will be working to lower the utility lines. In order to get all of the work done in a timely manner, trash will be picked up earlier than usual tomorrow. Please have your trash cans out and ready to be picked up before 7AM. Autumn Drive will be one of the first stops. Remember to space your cans five feet apart so the arm of the trash truck is able to pick up both cans. Thank you for your continuing patience. We will get through this, and the road will be much improved!
As always, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me.
Larry McConn
325-643-5451
(08-21-23)
Weekly Update
Important Headlines
- Drainage work nears completion
- Excavation of the roadway begins
- One lane traffic in places will be necessary
The drainage pipes and inlets are installed and the next phase of construction can commence. Last week the contractor was able to complete the final steps of the inlet installation and cover them up for the foreseeable future. The contractor will now turn his attention to the actual street construction. This will require them to work on one side of the street while the other side remains open to pass through. They will start on the far end, on the west side of the street, and work back towards Longhorn. This will leave the east side of the street and the adjacent right-of-way open for passing traffic. This is when it will become important to not park on the side of the street. As the road narrows down through the length of the project, more traffic will need to pull over to pass where many cars have been parking.
If you have any questions or would like more information on the construction process, please feel free to reach out to me any time.
Larry McConn
325-643-5451
(08-09-23)
Weekly Update
Important Headlines
- Work will continue on the south end drainage
- City crews will continue adjusting sewer lines and water service lines
As the drainage contractor continues to work up Autumn Drive with the new underground drainage, they are encountering water and sewer service lines serving the residences in the area. The city of Early crews are working with and ahead of the contractor to identify the locations of the water and sewer lines and adjusting them up or down as needed around the flow line of the new pipes. There will be times when the road is narrowed down to a single lane or off to one side while the main sewer line is exposed and the taps are adjusted. Our crews are working hard to minimize these occasions and the duration of the closings.
The contractor expects another couple weeks of drainage work before starting on the actual road construction portion of the project. Thank you for your continued patience during this process.
If you have any questions or would like more information on the construction process, please feel free to reach out to me any time.
Larry McConn
325-643-5451
(07-24-23)
Weekly Update
Important Headlines
- Work will continue on the south end drainage
- Water may be off Wednesday and Thursday
- Longhorn may be closed Wednesday or Thursday
Construction of the drainage infrastructure continued this last week, and will continue this week as well. The contractor is working on the shortest run of drainage first, which is the east side. There will be an inlet box between the first two houses on the east side of the street. When he gets that side finished, he will move to the west side of the street. There are two inlet boxes there. The first one is between the first and second house and the other one is between 115 and 117 Autumn. As we are digging the ditch for the drainage lines, we are uncovering water and sewer service lines that are having to be lowered. This is slowing progress down a bit but we are working with the contractor to make the repairs as quick as possible if they hit the lines.
You will also see in the coming weeks, the City of Early crews working ahead of the contractor lowering the water service lines crossing the street. When the service lines were installed they were only placed a foot or so deep. The road will be lowered nearly a foot and another foot of material will need to be excavated and replaced, so the water lines need to be deep enough to allow the contractor to work over them.
This Wednesday and Thursday, the City of Early crews will be lowering the main water line where it ties in at Longhorn. This will require an extended period each day that could have the water turned off. Our crew will do as much of the work as possible before turning the water off and have it back on as soon as possible. Water service will be back on by the end of the day so you will have water in the evenings and overnight. If the relocation extends beyond Thursday, I will send an update out explaining when it will be complete.
There is a possibility that Longhorn may need to be shut down for a short period during the relocation of the waterline. If that is the case, you will be able to access Autumn from the east. Come in from Early Blvd and turn right onto Autumn. We would close it from Salt Creek to Autumn if needed.
If you have any questions or would like more information on the construction process, please feel free to reach out to me any time.
Larry McConn
325-643-5451
(07-17-23)
Weekly Update
This last week showed the first real signs of the new and finished roadway. Late last week, the contractor finished the installation of the 3’x5’ box culverts under Autumn Dr. While they are not complete, it does give some insight as to how the finished road will look. There is still much more grading to the drainage on both sides of the boxes. There will be a concrete headwall poured on each end that will act as a retaining wall holding dirt on the top and concrete on the bottom. The headwalls will come at a later date.
This week the contractor will begin installing the storm sewer lines that run along Autumn. There will be lines on both sides of the street that will transport the water caught in new inlet boxes and deposit it in the new box culverts recently completed. Once the inlet boxes are set in place, this will allow a visual representation of where the curb lines will be as well as the finished height of the curbs. There will be large equipment used moving these pipes and inlet boxes, so please use caution when driving past the area where they are working.
During the installation of the box culverts last week, it was determined that the existing water line in that area will have to be relocated lower than it currently is. Our city crews will be working next week to lower that line. There will be a portion of time that we will have water shut off. I will have more details about that in next week’s update.
There may have been some confusion on the trash pickup during construction. Your trash pickup day is still Tuesdays, and you will still have the can out until trash is picked up. You will also put it as close to the drivable surface of the street as possible, just as you always have. Currently the trash is usually collected in the afternoon, so some residents may not be in the habit of putting the can out early in the morning. We ask that you have the can out by 7:00 a.m. so if needed, the truck can pick up first thing that morning to get out of the way of the construction. This may only happen a time or two during the course of the project, but it is a good habit to be in none the less. Most weeks the collection time will be the same as it always has been.
Please remember, it is important for you to not park on the roadway during this construction project. The contractor will need access to the entire right-of-way, which is approximately the areas between the telephone poles. If vehicles are parked in this area it will slow down the construction process and could result in having the vehicle towed if the owner is not located.
If you have any questions or would like more information on the construction process, please feel free to reach out to me any time.
Larry McConn
325-643-5451
(07-10-23)
Weekly Update
I hope everyone had a good fourth of July holiday and had an opportunity to spend some time with family and friends while celebrating the freedoms guaranteed by those before us.
I am sure you have noticed the work that has begun already. Last week, the contractor milled the asphalt up, added moisture and repacked it to allow you to drive on a harder surface in the event we get rain. It could be argued that the surface of the street is already better than it was when we started, so it is only going to get better from here.
There is a bit of behind-the-scenes work happening while the contractor is preparing to start the storm drainage. This week you will see most of the work taking place along Longhorn and the intersection with Autumn. The large pieces of concrete that have served the purpose of preventing erosion through the ditch over the years will be removed and the new ditch will begin taking shape. Large 3-foot-tall by 5-foot-wide rectangular box culverts will be moved to the site mid-week and sections of these will be installed across the existing entrance to your neighborhood. When this begins, the roadway will be narrowed down to a single lane of traffic. Please use caution when passing through this area of the construction as visibility could be restricted up and down Longhorn.
A few reminders to take note of, first, please restrict parking on the road and in the right-of-way as the contractors will need access to this entire area throughout the project. Second, please use caution when driving through the construction zone. There will be many workers present both on foot and on equipment and their safety is the top Priority. Third, we have had a couple of weeks now with the mailboxes on Longhorn, all delivery services and emergency services always have full access to your house.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me at any time via email or phone or in person at Early City Hall.
Larry McConn
325-643-5451
(06-20-23)
Weekly Update
The Autumn Drive project will be kicking off next week. You may have already noticed some colorful stakes at each end of the road. These stakes are locating survey pins that will be used for control points throughout the project. The contractor will be adding more stakes as the project progresses. We have a pre-construction meeting with the contractor on Wednesday of this week to go over all the final details of the project. You will be seeing the new mailboxes going up this week on Longhorn and will begin using them next week. Remember that package deliveries from UPS, Fed-EX, Amazon, ETC.… will still be made at your house. We will be in contact with all emergency services throughout the project, ensuring they will have full access and be able to serve your needs should that need arise.
As the project gets started, you will see several pieces of heavy equipment parked along the road and several construction workers throughout the day. Please use caution when driving around the construction site as there will be many blind spots. Kids are drawn to construction equipment and may be running from these blind spots across the road.
If you were not able to make it to the town hall meeting, I have included the meeting notes in the post below. Please look over those notes and fill out the personalized information assessment to share your contact information with us, so we can keep you updated on the project.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me:
Larry McConn
325-643-5451
(06-13-2023)
Town Hall Meeting Update
After the monthly city council meeting Larry McConn, Assistant City Administrator and Autumn Drive Reconstruction Project Manager, held a town hall meeting to address residents' concerns and give details about what to expect. See the details here.
(06-08-2023)
Public Hearing Autumn Drive Reconstruction
The City of Early delivered flyers to the Autumn Drive residents notifying them about the Public Hearing on June 13th at the Early Visitors and Events Center. Construction will begin on June 19th with a 4 month estimated construction time. Stay up to date with the project by visiting our website and completing your personalized information assessment. We will communicate with you using this information.
Construction will begin on June 19th with a 4 month estimated construction time. Stay up to date with the project by visiting our website and completing your personalized information assessment. We will communicate with you using this information.
(06-08-2023)
Autumn Drive Construction Plan Package
Now that construction is on its way, a construction plan was created including grading, draining, and pavement improvements. You can view the Construction Plan Package here.
(06-08-2023)
Autumn Drive Notice to Proceed
The contractors were notice to proceed with the construction work on Autumn Drive. You can view the Notice to Proceed here.
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Public Hearing Autumn Drive Reconstruction
There will be a Public Hearing about the Autumn Drive Reconstruction on Tuesday, June 13th, 2023 at 7PM at the Early Visitors and Events Center located on 419 Garmon Drive. Construction will begin on June 19th with a 4 month estimated construction time. Read on...
(06-08-2022)
City of Early Sets Out for Bids on Autumn Drive Reconstruction
Now that the engineering phase has been completed the City of Early is ready to go out for bids on the project. You can view the bid specs here.
(11-10-2020)
Council Enters Into Agreement with Engineers
The City Council met to make a decision on whether or not reconstruction is needed and the vote was unanimous that it is absolutely necessary. Once the vote was made, the City of Early began to work with engineers to begin designing the reconstructed road fully equipped with curbs, gutters and proper water drainage. You can read the press release here.