Baxter I-40 Water Line Replacement Project To Begin Next Week

Baxter will begin the process of replacing a water line along I-40 near the Old Baxter Road exit after a leak was discovered.

Mayor John Martin said  a new bore will be needed under the interstate and a new waterline that will run alongside it.

“This happened back really months ago and we had a meeting with TEMA on this when we had the below-zero temperatures,” Martin said. “And we feel like that’s what’s happened to this water line.”

City Engineer Tom Bennett said everything is in place and all the materials have been ordered. He said all of the traffic control has been approved as well.

Bennett said they do not know how long the bore work will take. However, he said it is not a long project other than the bore work.

“I’ve seen those bores take two to four weeks to pull back through once you pull it out,” Bennett said. “It’s starting next week and it should be full speed ahead once they start until they finish (…) This is a horizontal directional drill so they’ll stop in the evenings. It’s a 16-in bore on your actual casing pipe, and we think it will run about 19 feet under the interstate.”

Bennett said FEMA made a declaration of emergency after the winter ice events, so there is hope there is funding available to aid the project. He said the without recourse from FEMA or TEMA, the city decided to just move forward with the project.