On Tuesday, June 21, Charlottesville City Council will discuss the Central Water Line Project, a multi-year project devised in part by the Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority (RWSA) to improve the basic infrastructure of our local water system. Part of the project involves putting in new water pipes running through (which will require digging up) 10th and/or 11th streets between East Jefferson and East High streets.
Various residents have expressed two general concerns:
(1) The “southern route” that takes the Central Water Line Project through Little High is one of three options the RWSA planners discussed. It’s not clear WHY the southern route was chosen: it happens to be the longest and most expensive of the routes considered by the RWSA and there are still more shorter and more direct routes that were not part of the RWSA’s initial planning.
(2) IF there is a genuine public need for the project to come through the Little High neighborhood, what are the specific plans to manage and minimize the impact of the construction going through the neighborhood? — e.g. how long will our roads be taken apart, can the RWSA guarantee the roads will be fully restored within a specific amount of time, how will traffic be re-routed to accommodate the construction, how will businesses and schools that depend on car traffic be accommodated, etc.
