Residents and business owners likely to be impacted by the upcoming Dayton Street Utility Improvements project had a final opportunity Wednesday night to review construction plans and get their questions answered during an open house at City Hall.

The $7 million project will replace aging sewer, storm water and drain pipes — some nearly 100 years old — with larger pipes, thus increasing capacity to the city’s drainage system. This will help to alleviate flooding in downtown Edmonds during intense rain events, the city said. The roadway will also be replaced during the project.

Work begins next Monday, May 13, on the project’s first phase, which will take place through fall 2019. It will be concentrated from 3rd to 5th Avenues South but will also include some sewer pipe rehabilitation work from 6th to 9th Avenues South. The project’s second phase — focused on 5th to 9th Avenues South — will run from spring to fall 2020.

The city has established a project web page where those interested can find the latest updates. The biggest immediate impacts that residents will notice will be no parking signs in the immediate area and the detour of Community Transit buses that normally run along Dayton Street, said City Engineer Rob English. Community Transit detour maps will be posted on the web page in the next day or two, English added.

Next week’s work will include surveying, installing erosion control measures and mobilizing equipment along the route. It will also include potholing, which involves digging exploratory holes along the planned construction path to provide visual confirmation of utilities and underground obstructions.

According to the latest schedule, actual construction work will begin May 20.

In addition to replacing 3,800 feet of water pipe, 4,300 feet of sewer pipe and 3,200 feet of storm drainage pipe, the project also includes adding ADA curb ramps along Dayton at the intersections of 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th Avenues, adding the missing link of sidewalk on the south side of Dayton between 7th and 8th, and repaving the roadway within the project area. You can learn more in our earlier story.