Soapstone sewer-related manhole work will close part of Albemarle Street for two months

by Marlene Berlin

A portion of Albemarle Street east of Connecticut Avenue will close for two months while DC Water completes the final and “most difficult” phase of its two-year Soapstone Valley sewer rehabilitation project.

DC Water explained the remaining sewer work during a special ANC 3F meeting on Tuesday, June 4th.

Soapstone project manager Peter Tinubu said relining the final segment of sewer pipe, which runs from Albemarle to behind Park Van Ness, will first require removing the existing underground manhole structure near the intersection of Albemarle and 32nd Streets. The manhole dates back to 1908, and is too narrow to accommodate workers and equipment for the relining project and for future maintenance work.

“You can’t put equipment inside it. You can’t lower workers into it,” said Tinubu.

Excavating the manhole requires removing the original structure, brick by brick, and installing shoring materials to prevent a cave-in. This will create a temporary shaft that will be 16 feet wide and 45 feet deep. And it be a two-week, 24/7 operation.

The final six weeks of the street closure include relining the pipe (using the UV curing method), installing the new manhole structure (which will be two feet in diameter at the opening, and eight feet at the widest underground), and restoring the street surface. The work hours will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

The focus of the relining work is a 325-foot segment that flows into the park. “It’s in bad shape,” said Tinubu. “It’s cracking. The National Park Service is afraid it can break any time, and it will spill sewage into the park.”

Tinubu also said DC Water will be resolving another issue that came to light while it was investigating the manhole issues. The agency was expecting to find three pipes connected to the manhole. It found a fourth, from the Avalon apartment building at 4501 Connecticut Avenue. The pipe leads to a manhole near the Avalon’s parking garage entrance, and the building engineer told DC Water it is always backing up and flooding. DC Water, Tinubu said, will help the building fix the problem.

Before anything can happen, DC Water needs a permit from DDOT for the street closure. The ANC 3F commissioners present voted unanimously to approve a resolution supporting DC Water’s application. The resolution also states, and Tinubu affirmed, that DC Water has agreed to have a supervisor on-site throughout the operation.

Garbage and delivery trucks and staff serving the businesses at the southeast corner of Connecticut Avenue and Albemarle will have alley access. And the sidewalk on the north side of Albemarle Street will remain open.

Tinubu also said a sewer bypass pump will be in use during the two-week manhole excavation, and it will be covered with insulating materials to muffle the noise.

The start date will depend on when DDOT issues the permit. Then, Tinubu said, nearby homeowners, apartment buildings and businesses will be notified at least 72 hours before the work begins.