Some Lacey residents will receive a letter about a future construction project. Here’s why
Lacey City Council voted to award a new construction contract this week, but it came with a warning because the work will take place at night.
The $1.4 million project will install a 3,200-linear-foot, 12-inch iron water main on Pacific Avenue, east of Marvin Road, between McCallister Court and Chatham Drive Southeast.
The work is expected to begin in March and last 70 days.
That stretch of Pacific Avenue is also known as state Route 510, which means the state Department of Transportation has a say in the project, utility engineer Ryan Jewell told the city council.
“We had to coordinate with WSDOT throughout the design of this project, and they had some design and construction requirements, one of which is night work,” he said. “We were concerned about that due to the proximity to residential neighborhoods, but they were unmoving in their insistence for night work.”
Jewell said the city has responded by sending letters to all residents and businesses within 300 feet of the work zone, so “there are no surprises once we start breaking ground on this project.”
Jewell said the new main is needed to increase system redundancy and improve transmission to and from the nearby Steilacoom reservoir. That’s important in the event the city has to take the Hawks Prairie reservoir offline for maintenance or repairs, Jewell said.
Lacey Mayor Andy Ryder asked why the city was using iron instead of the synthetic plastic known as PVC.
Jewell said iron lasts longer and requires a bit less maintenance, plus WSDOT prefers iron water mains in its right of way.
The winning bidder was Western United Civil Group of Yacolt, which also recently was awarded a manhole repair contract in the city. That work will also take place at night.
Seven businesses bid on the water main job, with bids ranging from $1.4 million to $2.1 million. The engineer’s estimate was $1.9 million, according to city information.
This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
