ALEXANDER COUNTY, NC (May 22, 2020) – Construction began May 4th on the Bethlehem Sewer Collection System Expansion and Pump Station Upgrade. The sewer project is expected to be completed in April 2021.
At their December 16, 2019 meeting, the Alexander County Board of Commissioners awarded a bid for the sewer project to Two Brothers Utilities, Inc. of Shelby. The bid totaled $5,149,557.63. The project is being funded through a State Bond Loan from the North Carolina Clean Water Revolving Loan and Grant program.
Shabeldeen Engineering and McKim & Creed are the engineers for the project.
The project includes 23,415 linear feet of sewer lines and the upgrade of the Heritage Village and Wittenburg Springs pump stations, and is designed for future development in Bethlehem. Affected areas will include segments of Rink Dam Road, Heritage Farm Road, Alexander Heritage Drive, Chigger Ridge Road, Shiloh Church Road, NC Hwy. 127, Wittenburg Access Area, Wildlife Access Road, and Woodring Lane.
The work crews have completed work on Woodring Lane, and have started on Heritage Farm Road and at the Wittenburg Access Area. From Wittenburg Access, work will continue onto Wildlife Access Road in the coming weeks.
“Bethlehem is going to be a high-growth area, especially with Hwy. 127 becoming a four-lane road,” said Commissioner Ryan Mayberry. “There will be a lot of new commercial and residential development in the community, and this sewer project is essential to accommodate this growth.”
Commissioner Marty Pennell said he wants to ensure that the public understands this project isn’t designed to provide sewer service for neighborhoods, but does provide the infrastructure for future service.
County Manager Rick French agreed, “I know that a lot of people want to tap on to the sewer system, but right now we’re trying to get the backbone in place. It’s time to move forward with this project because we’ve been discussing this for a long time.”
“At some point in time, we’re going to have to start running sewer lines into neighborhoods because quite a few people are having septic issues,” said Commissioner Mayberry.