The last part of our road project that involves damage to our plantings was done last week. The fire hydrant is being moved across the street but that won't be a big messy job like all the new water and sewer pipes being laid and then hooked up to the houses.
The workman who was using this excavator scooped out a clump of my Geranium macrorrhizum and attempted to relocate them before they started the big dig. I was thrilled with his thoughtfulness.
Our neighbors' pipes were being done at the same time as ours. The crew tends to do the same jobs in a row starting at one or the other end of the street.
Mark was standing in our garden to take this shot.
There is a fair amount of hand work that's done around new and old pipes in the dig location.
These guys are so skilled at operating these big machines.
The orange fencing goes around holes in the street where the work was not finished in one day.
Our hole is all marked as the other excavator uses his machine to make the road passable for residents.
The yellow ribbon marks the oak tree at the end of our driveway. All this equipment is parked along our property for the night.
I went out to see what it looked like once the crew stopped work for the day at 7 p.m.
This is the view through the front garden towards the street.
Looking toward our garden as the guys work to move our water service from the old water main to the new one. Note the yellow gas line which was the first utility to be replaced.
The new copper water piping . . .
is hooked up to our house.
Clearing the new section of copper pipe before connecting it to the existing line to our house. The pipe had to be extended because the new main was installed on the far side of the right of way from us. We were only without water for a very short time.
This continues to be amazing to watch, and gosh, I hope I never have to go through it!!
Posted by: Kristin | Friday, July 28, 2023 at 06:52 AM
KRISTIN - It really is amazing. They are starting to put in the new storm sewer pipes which are the biggest I've ever seen. Luckily they just go in the street and no more digging into the garden. Really glad that we put in all those Geranium macrorrhizums just in case something like this happened. Should be easy to fill the area back in with plants growing nearby.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Friday, July 28, 2023 at 07:21 AM
Gosh, you seem to be handling all the excitement and disturbances very well. I find it rather stressful and it's not even my street! It may be a comfort to see highly skilled and very thoughtful laborers in action.
The photos documenting the process will be fun to look at and reminisce once the ordeal is behind you. Soon.
Posted by: Chavli | Friday, July 28, 2023 at 10:08 AM
What the others said. And wow, what a big job. Thanks for sharing the story. I'll look forward to seeing all the stages, and the finished project/road/replacement of plants.
Posted by: Beth@PlantPostings | Friday, July 28, 2023 at 11:19 AM
That last photo is incredible, the worker so small in the huge hole.
Posted by: danger garden | Friday, July 28, 2023 at 11:53 AM
BETH — Our house was built in 1954 and that's the age of what they're replacing. So messy but necessary.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Friday, July 28, 2023 at 11:55 AM
DANGER — These holes are massive in some cases. The depth changes depending on where on the hilly street they're digging. They dug a 22 foot hole at one point in front of our house. Pretty astounding to watch.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Friday, July 28, 2023 at 11:56 AM
CHAVLI— My husband is working on a book that he will self-publish on Blurb and it's fun to see what images catch his eye for that project.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Friday, July 28, 2023 at 11:58 AM
I'd be a nervous wreck over this project but you and Mark are handling it like pros. I've no doubt that the time you've taken to get to know the workers as you've done has paid dividends. So good of that workman to help with replanting the massive clump of Geranium!
Posted by: Kris P | Friday, July 28, 2023 at 02:18 PM
That IS so thoughtful to replant the clump of geranium. The hole is so large it looks like you're digging a swimming pool or pond. How long will this project take?
Posted by: Tracy | Saturday, July 29, 2023 at 10:07 AM
TRACY — Initially their finish date was Nov. 4th but it looks like it will now be earlier than that. The drought has meant that they've lost very few days to rain or weather issues. Bad weather for farmers; good for construction workers.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Saturday, July 29, 2023 at 10:16 AM
Oh my goodness! I could feel my heart beat faster as I scrolled down through your images, Linda! Hope you get your peaceful garden back soon.
Posted by: Susie at pbmGarden | Saturday, July 29, 2023 at 11:08 PM
I knew it was a big job, but these pictures show just how big. How on earth do you and your neighbors get to your respective homes, assuming you can leave them? Your road is one gigantic impassable dirt path! You seem to have the most considerate construction workers on the planet. Very nice. That would help make this monster job a lot easier to bear.
Posted by: Elizabeth | Sunday, July 30, 2023 at 12:26 AM
I'm so behind in reading but I'm so glad I'm taking the time to catch up. What a complex, multifaceted job! Mark's photos, to me, capture the essence and the souls of the workers pictured. Outstanding! Just blew me away as I clicked to enlarge each picture.
Posted by: Barbara H. | Thursday, August 03, 2023 at 08:44 PM
BARBARA — If Mark wasn't taking photos and meeting the crew so we really see what the job entails I think we would be very frustrated.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Friday, August 04, 2023 at 11:22 AM