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New regional sewer will accommodate growth in Edina, Richfield

Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) began work this spring on a new regional sanitary sewer that will provide additional capacity to serve anticipated growth in Richfield and Edina.

Portions of these well-established communities are destined for redevelopment. The Metropolitan Council’s revised forecasts, negotiated with communities, predict that from 2000 to 2030 the two cities combined will grow 21% in population and 24% in jobs.

The $26 million project will include approximately four miles of 36-inch-diameter, gravity-flow regional interceptor sewer. The new pipe will start at the cities’ border on Xerxes Avenue, and follow mostly 75th and 76th Streets across the southern portion of Richfield before turning north on 11th Avenue and connecting to another regional interceptor sewer at Diagonal Boulevard and Cedar Ave.

The Richfield-Edina area is at the southwestern reach of the 65 cities served by MCES’s Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment Plant in St. Paul, the largest of eight plants in the regional system.

Option chosen cuts costs, disruption to communities

“We evaluated six other options, some of which included new pumping stations and routing the new pipe along an existing regional interceptor in the northern part of Richfield,” said Bill Moore, MCES general manager. “But we rejected those options because the construction costs ranged from $28-42 million, they would be more disruptive to the community to build, and they would be more expensive to operate.”

Along approximately 25% of the route that was chosen, the new pipe will run parallel to an existing MCES interceptor. Several connections will be made between the two pipes, which will allow one pipe to completely shut down during low-flow periods for easier maintenance.

While most of the construction will take place during 2009-2011, two short segments of the interceptor and underground structures were being installed this spring in coordination with other construction projects. One section was installed through a school property at 75th Street and Penn Avenue, before a school reconstruction project was scheduled to wrap up with parking lot and landscape restoration.

The other section was coordinated with the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s (Mn/DOT) replacement of the 76th Street bridge over Interstate 35W. While MnDOT demolished the bridge the first weekend in May, large metal casings to house the interceptor were placed under the freeway. Work along both sides of the freeway and installation of the pipe will be completed this summer.

Project allows city chance to redesign streets

Along with increasing sewer capacity, the project also will literally pave the way for Richfield to implement new streetscape plans as MCES restores the streets dug up during construction. Since Richfield upgraded 77th Street as a major east-west route through the city, it is opting to narrow the four-lane streets on the interceptor sewer route and upgrade or add sidewalks, off-street trails, bike lanes, trees, and parking cut-outs.

“The MCES project offered a great opportunity for the community to come together and discuss the best use of 76th Street now and into the future,” said Kristin Asher, Richfield’s city engineer. “With the anticipated rebuild of the street, it wouldn’t have made any sense to put back the existing road section that has been underutilized since the construction of 77th Street. 

“It was impressive to see MCES, Three Rivers Park District and the City of Richfield work together to come up with a streetscape design that reflects the values the community expressed in the process,” Asher said. “The City is excited to see the new roadway come through, a real win-win for all agencies involved.”