Pine Bluff Wastewater Utility reached the substantial completion phase of the Kansas Street Parallel Force Main.
General Manager Ken Johnson said the force main is the largest single capital infrastructure project in the history of the utility. At an updated cost of $10.86 million, construction and installation of the force main dates back to March 2020, with the 1,100-foot, 42-inch line submerged across the bank of Lake Langhofer last September. That marked completion of the first phase to replace a line that had been in service since the mid-1960s, according to Johnson.
Crist Engineers designed the force main, with Garney Companies Inc. building it.
The project will increase the flow capacity from the Kansas Street Pump Station to the Boyd Point Treatment Facility from 23 million gallons per day to 40 mgd, according to Crist Engineers. A true redundancy, according to a fact sheet, will ensure continued quality customer service to the citizens of Pine Bluff for years to come.
The project reached substantial completion ahead of its June 20 projection date, but Johnson said only minor punch-list items remain to be completed by July 12.
“We are delighted to see it come to fruition, and several other capital projects are already on our radar as we plan for the future,” Johnson said.