Orange : Building of Storm Drain Will Affect Two Streets

Parts of Chapman Avenue and Main Street will be partially blocked for three months, beginning early next month, when the streets will be torn up for an $850,000 storm drain project.

The city Public Works Department is advising residents that road construction could temporarily impede access to their homes and businesses and that it could pose a danger to children. Youngsters should be kept clear of the construction area, officials say.

The affected areas are Chapman Avenue from the Bitterbush Flood Control Channel, just east of the Orange Freeway, to Main Street, where the 4,000-foot storm drain turns north to Maple Avenue, according to Ashok Basargekar, associate civil engineer.

Construction has already begun, but traffic so far is unaffected, Basargekar said. Later, the project will involve dump trucks, transit mix trucks, pavement breakers, excavators and similar heavy construction equipment, and it may force relocation of some utility lines.

To be built by Mladen Buntich Construction Co., the storm drain of 66 to 60 inches in diameter will “alleviate flooding along the reaches” of the targeted streets, according to the city.