Hotmix Plants are Open - Asphalt Repairs Underway

There’s no question – this winter was rough on our roadways. With the high amount of rain and freezing temperatures, Mother Nature held no punches this year when it came to damaging certain roadways with potholes and cracks. During colder months, the city can only temporarily repair potholes with cold-patch. Unfortunately, this temporary solution will wash out with age, until a permanent hot-mix solution can be put in place.

With warmer weather on the horizon, asphalt plants have been re-opening and allowing the City of New Albany to begin performing asphalt repairs. Here are some recent statistics on the number of pothole repairs that were conducted in March and the beginning of April using hotmix.

In March, 604 potholes were filled in over 120 different locations. As of April 11th, the Street Department had already repaired 365 potholes in 66 locations this month.

Starting next week, asphalt repair crews will be in the following areas filling potholes, patching roadways, and helping get our roads back in good condition after this rough winter:

Scribner Drive, Cherry Street, Main Street, Old Vincennes Road, Falcon Ridge, Daisy Lane, Green Valley Road (from I-265 to Hausfeldt), and Castlewood.

If you see a pothole or damaged asphalt, please report the location to the Street Department at (812) 948-5352 so that we can get a crew out to repair it.

Stormwater Projects at Wildwood, Captain Frank Road to Begin Monday

With the recent rain events, two areas were located by the Stormwater Department as in need of repairs and upgrades to help ensure that the drainage system is operating efficiently and effectively.

One location is at the entrance to the Wildwood subdivision, where a culvert under the roadway is in need of replacement. The existing corrugated metal pipe will be removed and replaced with a new reinforced concrete pipe (RCP). The new pipe, according to Jorge Lanz with Jacobi Toombs & Lanz Engineers, should provide a useful life of over 50 years.

“The contractor had proposed a different type of pipe, but I recommended we switch to the RCP to provide a more long-term solution,” stated Mr. Lanz. “This project is something that is necessary, and it’s always great when we can catch these issues ahead of time and provide solutions before major problems occur.”

Work will begin at this location on Monday, April 16th. The project will require the closure of the entrance to the subdivision. Residents in this area will need to use the Braeview Drive exit. This work is expected to only take 1 working day to complete (weather dependent), and then crews will move to the second project.

The second location is along Captain Frank Road, where workers will be removing the existing pipe and installing new drainage infrastructure. This work will require a closure of Captain Frank Road, north of the Valley View intersection. Traffic control measures and detour signs will be put in place to assist with traffic while the work is completed.

Riverfront Cleanup Volunteer Event

Over the past week, we have received numerous requests from people and organizations wanting to volunteer in helping cleaning up the New Albany Riverfront. On Sunday, March 4th, the City of New Albany is inviting volunteers to join us for a riverfront cleanup event from 12pm-5pm. City personnel will be on site to assist and supervise, along with public safety personnel to oversee the event. The Salvation Army will also be on site and has offered to provide food and water to volunteers wishing to help.

We are asking anyone interested in participating to come to the Overlook near the Riverfront Amphitheater to check-in at 12pm. Please do not attempt to drive or park on Water Street where volunteers will be working.

Volunteers are encouraged to wear old clothes, boots, and gloves, and bring small tools like shovels and leaf rakes.

“New Albany is a city filled with generous and caring people, and we are thrilled with the community response and those wishing to give back,” stated Mayor Jeff Gahan. “Thankfully, our infrastructure improvements have helped hold off the vast majority of water from reaching neighborhoods and homes, and our flood wall and levee system did its job. Thanks in advance to the residents, businesses, and organizations that donate their time and energy to this community service project.”

Due to insurance purposes, volunteers will be required to sign a waiver at check-in. If you are under the age of 18 and wish to volunteer, a parent or guardian will need to fill out the waiver for you. See below for a link for the volunteer waiver. If you are under 18, please have a parent or guardian fill out the form and bring it with you to the event.

Click HERE for the Volunteer Waiver.

Solid Flood Protection for New Albany - No Emergency Rescues, No One Displaced

PUBLIC SAFETY UPDATE REGARDING FLOODING

As of Tuesday afternoon, no reports of displaced residents have been made with City of New Albany offices. The New Albany Fire Department also reported that no water rescues were necessary.

“Over my 27 years of service in law enforcement, I have never seen a better response to a flood event than we have seen with this recent one in New Albany,” stated New Albany Police Chief Todd Bailey.

The NAPD and NAFD had additional officers and firefighters on staff during the period to improve public safety. No calls for service were made to the NAPD or NAFD with regards to flooding issues.

“In years past for similar rain events, we would have to make numerous water rescues to save residents in neighborhoods that have been flooded. Thanks to the numerous infrastructure improvements made throughout the city, New Albany residents were not in need of water rescues from this event,” stated New Albany Fire Chief Matt Juliot.

Flood Control and Stormwater Operations Continue - Crest Projected on Monday Afternoon

Flood Control operations continue as the Ohio River reached 66.36 feet as of 4pm on Sunday. New projections are showing a crest on Monday at 1pm at a height of 67.4 feet. Water levels should begin decreasing at a slow rate, but projections anticipate the water level still being above 60 feet by next Friday (March 2nd). Pumphouses continue to operate and be staffed around the clock, moving over 200,000 gallons of water per minute.

“Our Stormwater and Flood Control systems are operating as intended,” stated Mayor Jeff Gahan. “Provided that we do not receive too much additional rain through next week, we should see the water levels begin to recede soon.”

Here are some good historical reference points for the highest water level at crest:

1. 85.4 feet on January 27th, 1937
2. 74.4 feet on March 7th, 1945
3. 74.4 feet on February 16th, 1884
4. 73.4 feet on March 13th, 1964
5. 72.7 feet on April 2nd, 1913
6. 72.2 feet on February 16th, 1883
7. 70.4 feet on March 7th, 1997
8. 69.6 feet on February 21st, 1832
9. 69.1 feet on January 22nd, 1907
10. 68.8 feet on December 17th, 1847

PLEASE DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH STANDING WATER.

Please report Stormwater issues at 812-945-1989 (7:30am-3:30pm Mon-Fri), or after-hours at 502-558-1507.