R Street opening delayed until next week

The opening of R Street will be delayed, as the overnight rains revealed a punctured storm drain pipe at the construction site.

“We are sorry about the delay in opening,” said City Engineer Michael Beltran, “We will have crews working on it quickly so we can open the street by the middle of next week.”

The City has been renovating R Street between Loughborough Drive and Buena Vista Drive for several months. The original construction schedule called for the street to be reopened March 1, but opening day had been moved up to today until the problem was discovered.

The storm drain pipe was punctured while crews were cement treating the dirt beneath the asphalt. Beltran said the contractor miscalculated and went to deep. The error wasn’t discovered until the rains sent water flowing through the pipe and there was minor flooding in the street.

Crews will begin working at 7 a.m. Saturday to replace a 20-foot section of the storm drain pipe, Beltran said.

“The error will not cost the City anything except the inconvenience to motorists and residents. We apologize for that,” Beltran said.

The construction work does come with a one-year warranty in case other issues are discovered, Beltran said.