Sewer line work may disrupt flow of lane's traffic in Princess Anne

PRINCESS ANNE -- Crisfield Lane residents will likely see a temporary disruption to the traffic flow on their street when the Somerset County Sanitary District begins work to replace an aging section of sewer line.

The project is currently in the design phase, with construction expected to start in about 90 days, said Robin Street, manager of the Sanitary District.

Several years ago, a study was done on the 40-year-old sewer line that serves the neighborhood on the west side of Route 13 near the Somerset County Civic Center.

"Segments of it have some issues, and the study pointed that out," Street said.

The work will involve replacing the section of the line between Peggy Lane and Sharon Lane.

While the work is being performed, traffic will be limited to one lane along the road, but only in the work area.

Once the work is completed, the Sanitary District will be required to repave rather than patch the affected area because the county resurfaced all of Crisfield Lane last year, Street said.

The work is expected to last about 100 days, including the repaving.

The project will be paid for with money left over from the recent Westover sewer project. The Sanitary District still has $610,400 remaining from a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development grant that must be used or sent back.

The amount is enough to cover the cost of the Crisfield Lane work, he said.

Since the sewer will be funded with a grant rather than a loan, the work is not expected to increase costs for sewer users, Street said.

The planned work is small in scale compared to some recent Sanitary District projects.

In 2009, new lines that tie Westover into the Princess Anne wastewater treatment plant went online after years of planning.

The $6.2 million project connected several county-owned facilities, such as the Board of Education, Great Hope Golf Course, the county roads department, recreation and parks and the Sheriff's Office, as well as numerous private businesses and houses.