Roy Acuff Place and 18th Avenue

The intersection of Roy Acuff Place and 18^th Avenue South was experiencing frequent ponding during storm events creating hazardous conditions for motorists. The ponding was also causing basement flooding of adjacent buildings. In the winter months, a sheet of ice was frequently present due to flat grades, ponding from upstream runoff and lack of sunlight. Barge Cauthen & Associates was selected to investigate the nature of the problem and develop design documents to provide a solution. After obtaining a field survey and site investigations, including two occasions during significant rain events, three primary issues were identified. First, the existing 18” combined sewer line, installed in 1904, serving the area was significantly undersized and needed to be upgraded. Secondly, the existing system at the intersection lacked adequate intake capacity given that the intersection was in a sump condition, and finally the existing pavement grades at one corner created a completely flat condition exacerbating the winter icing condition. The solution proposed and constructed consisted of upsizing 650 feet of combined sewer from 18” to 30”, installing new throated inlets at the intersection to increase intake capacity and adding a ‘bulb-out’ to the flat corner to eliminate the standing water problem. The total project cost was approximately $500,000.