A little pain, big gain as Raleigh updates sewer drainage system

The problem is evident on Crabtree Creek every time the city gets heavy rain. The area floods easily, and though there are a couple of big pipes underground along the creek to carry off the excess water, they aren't quite big enough.

The City of Raleigh, though, is working on a fix that engineers hope will protect the public from raw sewage.

Crews are working to put a pile of pipes that are currently sitting near Wake Forest Road north of downtown underground along Crabtree Creek. The new, larger pipes will help move more stormwater through the system, keeping it away from the sanitary sewer system.

"They are bigger pipes, for sure," said Eileen Navarrete, the manager for project.

"They're moving a little slower than we'd like, but we've made some changes that we think are going to be helpful for the project," Navarrete said.

The contractor added more workers to the job, and all of Hodges Street should reopen by late spring. Then, construction moves west along Crabtree Creek toward Lassiter Mill and Glenwood Avenue.

For people who like to be outside in northeast Raleigh, the construction will mean detours: A big section of the Crabtree Creek Greenway between Anderson Drive and Kiwanis Park will close later in March, and it probably won't reopen until sometime this summer.

"We try to close the greenway in sections that are logical so people don't get 1,000 feet down the trail and have to turn around," Navarrete said.

The entire pipeline should be finished by late 2019. Navarete says it's a little pain for a lot of gain.

"The best benefit we get out of these projects is to keep our creeks and rivers healthy," Navarete said.

And they're starting to build a similar new pipe along Walnut Creek in southeast Raleigh over the next couple of months. Another pipeline will go along the Neuse River in east Raleigh, with construction starting late next year.