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One of the major summer infrastructure projects for the City of Pella is hoping to be fully completed by the end of this week, following delays on the project due to wet conditions. The 1100 block of Marion Street has been closed since May 20th to allow for the removal of the street pavement and major repairs on two portions of the sanitary sewer.

Repairs to the sewer were complete on June 4th, but Pella City Administrator Mike Nardini said the delays came when it was time for the road concrete to be poured.

“What’s happened with all of the heavy rains that we had in June is that the sub-grade – the area below the street – has become saturated,” said Nardini. “And that’s somewhat problematic when you talk about paving streets, because really in order to pave a street, that sub-grade has to be basically dry.”

To speed up the drying process, Nardini says an additive to the sub-grade was approved.

“What the [Pella City] Council approved was the application of ‘fly ash’ to the sub-grade. It’s a chemical agent that is intended to dry out the sub-grade,” said Nardini. “And with that application, we’re happy to report that the paving is basically complete out there and we should be able to open the street soon.”

The fly ash added an additional $4900 to the project for a total of roughly $54,611. The 1100 block of Marion Street in Pella is expected to re-open on Saturday.

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