After months of detours, patchwork pavement and underground work, Manning’s long-running sewer project is nearing completion, with the final utility work expected to wrap up this week and paving set to begin after the Striped Bass Festival.
City Administrator John Singh said the sewer portion of the project is “about done,” with the last section expected to be completed by the end of the week.
“The overall project went very smooth,” Singh said. “The contractors, in my opinion, did a very good job. I think we’ve got a good product.”
The project has focused on replacing aging sewer lines in and around downtown, including work along Brooks, Boyce, Keitt and Rigby streets. Singh said the final section is on Rigby Street and should be reopened before festival traffic begins.
Once that work is complete, the city will move into the paving phase.
Singh said CBG, the contractor that handled the sewer work, will pave sections tied directly to the project, including part of Brooks Street, all of Keitt Street and a section of Rigby Street. Boyce Street, meanwhile, will be paved separately through the South Carolina Department of Transportation as part of its broader paving schedule.
“Boyce is being handled by DOT,” Singh said. “Part of Brooks is being paved by CBG, and Keitt Street is being paved by CBG, and then the section of Rigby.”
Paving is expected to begin after the Striped Bass Festival, likely next week, though Singh said he had not yet been told which street crews would start on first.
The paving phase should be far less disruptive than the sewer installation itself. Singh said drivers may see temporary lane closures or flagmen directing traffic, but roads are not expected to be shut down for long periods.
“It won’t be anything like what you dealt with,” he said.
Singh acknowledged that some residents have complained about the rough temporary patches left behind while crews finished the underground work, particularly along Brooks Street.
“If you go down Brooks like toward the bank in that direction, that surface is not as smooth as I would have liked it to be,” he said. “It’s kind of got a bump, bump.”
Still, Singh said the city is pleased with both the process and the results so far.
Singh said the city has already received positive feedback from businesses and property owners, many of whom report fewer sewer backups since the work began.
“Overall, the consensus has been it’s been a project that worked out well — some inconvenience, but worked,” he said.
He added that the city was able to keep roads open for businesses when possible, allow the Christmas parade to move forward and delay work near the post office until after the holiday season.
“For a project of that size, I think that it really went about as good as you could get,” Singh said.
The work also remained on budget, with some project funds left over. Singh said those remaining dollars are now being used for additional sewer-related improvements at the city’s treatment plant and lift stations, including upgrades and repairs to the sequencing batch reactor. Service will not be interrupted while that work is underway.
Even with this phase nearly complete, Singh said Manning still has more sewer infrastructure work ahead and will continue looking for grants and funding opportunities.
“It’s so important to look at infrastructure and long-term planning,” Singh said. “This is not a Manning problem. It’s all over the country.”
As one major infrastructure project winds down, the city is also preparing to study another: sidewalks and walkability downtown.
Singh said Manning received a $25,000 Municipal Association of South Carolina Impact Fund grant, with a 5% local match, to begin evaluating pedestrian improvements, sidewalk issues and possible connections to the city’s new park.
The city is now preparing to issue a request for qualifications for a consultant, likely a landscape architect, engineer or team experienced in pedestrian improvements and unusual sidewalk conditions.
That work, he said, is aimed at helping the city compete for a future Transportation Alternatives Program grant through DOT to fund actual sidewalk improvements.
For now, city officials are focused on finishing a project they say has already improved service underground and should soon improve conditions on the road as well.
