Locust Street CSO Elimination

The $9,026,548 dollar Locust Street CSO Elimination project was a multi-phase project to separate sewers leading to the CSO – Combined Sewer Overflow at Locust Street and Colton Avenue in Bloomington, Illinois. Stark Excavating was awarded this project by the City of Bloomington and hit the dirt in December 2011. The project was completed in July 2013 and included the installation of over 11,000 LF of ductile iron water main with over 150 service connections, 15,000 LF of PVC sanitary sewer and sewer services and 2,000 LF of new storm drainage piping. In addition, Stark also removed and replaced 4,000 foot section of Country Club Place and Mercer Avenue with new curb & gutter and hot mix asphalt pavement. Most of the work is taking place in the streets of Towanda, Country Club, Perrin, Jefferson, Washington and Mercer. This project was funded through the Motor Fuel Tax fund and through an IEPA – Illinois Environmental Protection Agency 20 year loan to the City of Bloomington and was paid with funds received from the Sewer, Storm Water and Water services.

Several interim schedule dates have been specified to limit construction around the Bloomington Country Club Golf Course and District 87 School Activities. In the beginning of December, project superintendent Greg Gilmore was challenged with the task of installing over 1,900 LF of 30″ PVC sewer through the Bloomington High School baseball field and the Bloomington Country Club Golf Course with complete restoration due by March 1st so that the baseball and golf season would not be affected. Rooster’s A-Team sewer crew met the challenge and a mild winter helped get the sod down to complete the restorations in February. The next challenge faced by superintendent Steve Stielow and his seasoned journeymen was to complete water main installations at the High School and Washington Street Grade School before classes started in August. After all utility work was completed on Country Club Place, Tommy Cecil completed grading & curb & gutter installations for Hot Mix Asphalt paving.

Project Manager Don Colclasure, Jr. quotes, “Whenever you’re replacing 100+ yearold infrastructure in an established neighborhood, the challenges are not daily, they are hourly. Without a doubt, Stark Excavating employs the top workers this area has to offer; the challenges in every aspect of the project are eagerly accepted and achieved at all levels of the workforce.”