Hudson City DPW: CSO separation design nearly complete; major street closures and utility relocations ahead

Rob Perry, superintendent of the Hudson City Department of Public Works, said the combined-sewer-overflow (CSO) separation project’s design plans are "probably about 95% complete" and will soon be submitted for independent review by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC).

Perry said the project will require a detailed maintenance-and-protection-of-traffic (MPT) plan and stakeholder meetings to plan detours and property access when stretches of Columbia Street become impassible. "There’ll be sometimes when there won’t be a street — there’ll just be massive holes that get filled in at the end of the day," he said, underscoring the need to coordinate detours and signage.

The project will also require relocation of some city water mains and private drains that conflict with the new sewer alignments. Perry said because those conflicts are part of the project they can be moved within the project scope, but the work requires close coordination with the water department and other utilities.

Perry described the scale of structures needed for the new sewers: to receive 48-inch diameter pipe, intersections will require structures in the 8–9-foot range rather than the typical 5-foot diameter manhole. That larger footprint will require careful staging at intersections and attention to existing underground utilities.

Because asphalt is not available for reliable restoration in winter, Perry said the department is weighing whether to allow limited winter work using concrete or to institute a scheduled shutdown for a couple of months during the coldest period to avoid repeated plow damage to temporary restorations. He said the design submission and independent reviews will take a couple of months and that staff will meet neighborhood stakeholders to finalize detour and access plans.

What’s next: DPW will submit design plans for DEC and EFC review, develop a traffic-management plan in consultation with stakeholders, and return to the schedule after reviews and stakeholder meetings.