Curious as to what took place on the public works and infrastructure front in the City of Bridgeport in 2018? On Monday, City Engineer Beth Fox broke down the overall work of her department during an annual report to Bridgeport City Council.

 

“Between our city work force and contracted work, we did $2.6 million in projects this year,” Fox told Council.

 

The project were all across the spectrum and all across the city. As noted, many of the smaller projects were done in house. The larger projects were often bid out to contractors.

 

Among the projects were various repairs at the Bridgeport Wastewater Treatment Plant; the Worthington Drive, Ashford Drive, Gordon Street, Main Street, Ridgeway Drive, Rainbow Road, and Arrowood Drive sanitary upgrades; lower Worthington Drive, Main Street, Williamsburg Apartments, Elm Drive and Poplar Street water upgrades; Briercliff Road, Archwood Avenue, and Natalie Drive storm drain upgrades; Thompson Drive trough drain project; Glen Avenue storm drain relocation; Bridgeport Recreation Complex work, and various other projects.

 

Fox also discussed unusual issues the city deals with. She pointed to how "wet wipes" and other flushable and non-flushable items clog drains and damage equipment. It was among many of the more unique aspects the lay person may have no idea about.

 

On more than one occasion Fox praised her staff for their work, as well as their work after hours. She pointed out that the city’s waste water treatment staff handled 44 after hour calls relating to water issues and 92 calls for wastewater woes, while the public works staff dealt with 186 after-hour calls for a multitude of reasons.

 

“The list of calls for public works is endless,” said Fox of the 322 after hour calls through Monday’s meeting.

 

Fox said part of the reason the staff is able to get things done is a result of mechanics Tom Palmer and Cecil Moore. She said the mechanic department keeps all vehicles running and if there are issues with a vehicle, such as a snow plow, they will fix it whenever and wherever it’s needed.

 

“They have 24/7 availability to all of our departments,” said Fox.

 

While the bulk of the report focused on past projects, Fox also discussed what her department will be looking to accomplish in 2019.  On the sewer front was a long-term control plan to minimize collection failures during heavy rain. Also, the city hopes to re-route sewer that will alleviate the amount of sewage going through the downtown area. The plan is to reduce the downtown’s flow by 13 percent with a project involving a force main along Airport Road.

 

On the water front, projects focus on water tanks and booster stations. Fox also hopes to continue a process begun by her predecessor Tom Brown to find an alternative source water supply source in the event of an emergency. Currently, Bridgeport receives its water from the City of Clarksburg.

 

Stormwater projects were spelled out to help issues in several areas. Projects should be taking place on Ventura Drive and Westwood Avenue, Carriage Lane and working with the West Virginia Division of Highways on a stormwater management design project coming down U.S. Route 50.

 

“It’s been a busy year,” said Fox.

 

Editor's Note: Top two photos show a pair of projects that took place in 2018, while bottom photo shows storm water issues along Route 50 the city is working with the state on in hopes of slowing down or eliminating in 2019.