HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 05.bPubl k Works
March 2012
Spring Street Sweeping
LAKEVILLE PUBLIC WORKS
Christopher Petree, Director
March 2012
Normally March would be a month to wonder just how much more snow we
were destined to get. But this year, with the absence of snow, we are instead
planning how fast we can get started on spring activities. A sure sign of
spring is the start of the spring
street sweeping. The focus of
spring sweeping is to clear the
curb line of debris collected
during the winter to prevent it
from washing down the catch
basins and clogging the storm
sewer system. Streets Division
crews have started sweeping in
last year's seal coat area to pick
up any loose rock that has worn
off the surface over the winter.
While this also contributes to
improving storm water runoff,
it also reduces the grit that
people carry onto their
driveways and into their
homes. Next they will move to _
areas around lakes and
wetlands to ensure that debris
is removed from those areas to
maintain the quality of
Lakeville's various watersheds.
A normal street sweeping
operation involves two
sweepers operating in tandem;
one to pick up the bulk of the debris and the second to collect those bits and
pieces missed by the first one. Preceding the sweepers, a water tanker will
spray water on the streets to improve debris collection and to keep dust to a
minimum. Following behind, will be dump trucks to collect the Toads from the
sweepers and take it to an area to be screened and properly disposed. Over
the next few weeks, the sweepers will move throughout the remainder of the
City to remove winter's leftovers from all commercial and residential areas.
• Traffic Signal Changes
The Engineering Division has
been actively working with
Dakota County to upgrade the
traffic signals at the intersection
of Dodd Boulevard and
Kenwood Trail /202 Street. As
the area has developed and
traffic increased, the signals
have largely remained
unchanged. Left turn lanes are
available, but in making the left '
turn from Dodd Boulevard the
driver must yield to oncoming
traffic. This can be difficult due to
volume at the intersection, but is
aggravated in the southbound lanes
by a slight change in elevation that
can block the view of oncoming
traffic when the northbound left turn
lane is occupied. This summer,
Dakota County will install left turn
arrows on Dodd Boulevard and add
flashing yellow permissive left turn s='
arrows to all legs of the intersection.
This will be the first implementation
of flashing yellow arrows in the City.
The flashing yellow arrows will move
vehicles through the intersection
with less delay by allowing turns
when there are gaps in oncoming
traffic. This new signal change will
allow flexibility in handling variable traffic volumes and
improve safety.
❖ Sanitary Sewer Cleaning
Sanitary sewers are one of
those things that are really
convenient, but you would
rather not know all the details
on how they work. When
Utilities Division staff does the
maintenance work on the
sanitary sewer system, they
keep a list of what are
considered "hot spots ", or areas
that need closer monitoring
and more effort to maintain.
Hot spots can result from roots
growing into a pipe around a
service lateral or pipe joint or from
fats, oils, and grease, sometimes
referred as FOG, that coat the inside
of the pipe. Common sources of
FOG include meats, dairy products,
cooking oils, and other food items
that can be produced by just about
anyone, from restaurants to
residential users. It becomes a
problem because once it enters the
sewer system it solidifies and
separates from other liquids in the
pipes. A layer of FOG sticks to the
pipes and over time can restrict the
flow and create a backup.
Commonly, the Utilities Division uses
the jetter attachment to the Vactor to spray high pressure water along the
length of the pipe scouring the pipe walls and removing most of the FOG. A
root cutter attachment powered by high pressure water takes care of root
problems. The Vactor is out on a daily basis working to keep the sewer
system clean and reduce the potential for backups.