Davenport
by: Capers Gay
March 25, 2025
Image of Bargain Barn Road c. 2022, provided by Google Maps (adjusted to remove personal info)
At the March 17th Davenport City Commission Meeting, city officials were requested to authorize a construction inspection for the change of a force main along Bargain Barn Road to continue the road’s relocation. This is part of the larger initiative to realign Powerline Road, which Bargain Barn is connected to. A force main is used to carry wastewater through pressure when gravity isn’t enough, so this change is necessary.
The construction inspection includes surveying the road itself: its dimensions, nearby trees, right-of-ways, and markings. After that, SUE services (standing for Subsurface Utility Engineering) are carried out to determine the precise location of underground utilities such as powerlines and wastewater pipes. From there, the design of the project can begin, with detailed drawings, surveys, and permits to be submitted to the city and regulatory agencies for approval.
Image of old force main provided by the Engineering Training Institute website
City Utilities Director Michael Stripling explained, “This project is not only the redesign because we’re changing the location of Bargain Barn Road. So initially, when we went and designed this a year and a half ago, it was directly up 90 and on 17/92 to make the connection with future Powerline Road. Now, we’re redesigning because we’re going to relocate Bargain Barn Road, so we need to move that force main.” Stripling commented that most of the project’s budget was going towards the construction inspection. Mayor Summerlin, heading the meeting, joked, “So we’re gonna save a little money because we take out two 90s?” Chuckling, Stripling responded “We’re gonna add a bunch of 45s, cause that road now curves!” “I had to ask.” the mayor quipped.
Chastain Skillman, a company known for its civil and utility engineering services, have been selected for the project, and $130,000 from the city’s Water Distribution Wastewater Collection Budget has been authorized for this stage of the project, along with a $2,000 licensing fee for encroachment on the railroad as Stripling explained, “The force main from Bargain Barn Road is going to cross underneath the railroad. It’s one more avenue for us to bring sewer from the east side of the city to the wastewater plant that’s on the west side.” The authorization was unanimously approved.
