Friday, June 4, 2010

Speedway Sand and Gravel, Middleton WI

Project: Water mains, storm sewer, and resurfacing on Edgewood Avenue, Madison, WI,  Summer of 2010.

The performance of this contractor has been mixed:

On the positive side, we note that they have been responsive in communications, and have been steadily improving their control of runoff.  The construction phasing (keeping as much pavement intact as possible) has worked well.   When mistakes are made, the foreman has shown a willingness to correct them on weekends (as required by law).

We note that the weather has been bad, and the construction site is unusually hilly and very close to a sensitive resource.  But these complicating factors should have been planned for.

On the negative side:  Detailed report here
  • Especially serious was the delay in implementing most parts of their erosion control plan until well after construction started.  It took a complaint, and a serious rainstorm with muddy runoff into Lake Wingra, before serious progress on sediment control started.
  • So far, three incidents of muddy runoff into Lake Wingra have been photographed.
  • Street sweeping, a basic and essential part of the sediment plan, has been inconsistent.
  • We've documented a number of smaller infractions, such as improperly installed inlet filters, use of unwashed gravel for tracking pads, etc.
Given the mixed results, we are inclined to wait and watch.  But we are close to giving this contractor a permanent negative report, if another serious runoff incident occurs.

Given the closeness of this construction site to a sensitive resource, we have higher standards than the city.  It's possible that Speedway could do everything the City requires, and still receive a negative report on this website.  Surveys show Madison residents are dissatisfied with what the City is doing to protect our lakes.
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Update: 6/8/10 evening

The gravel tracking pads are still not right.  The city inspector earlier found two inadequate; we find 4 of 5 inadequate (not fully 50 feet long or wide enough).  At the Madison street entrance, it is wet and muddy, with many tracks leading down the street.

Update 6/9/10
Gravel pads: The city has "passed" some of the entrances, and called for upgrade on others. Yet when I looked today, they had not been upgraded. This is clear, baldfaced violation of standards. Violation by the city for "passing" the inadequate pads, and violation by Speedway for not carrying out the required upgrade in a speedy fashion. Not only are the pads too small in area, but they are of gravel of too small a size, and the gravel is probably unwashed (I say this because gravel in a check dam was unwashed).

Who to contact
Owner: Tom DeBeck, tom@speedwaysg.com, Speedway office: 608-836-1071
Foreman: Todd Timmerman, mobile 608-575-1499
City construction site inspector: Tim Troester, ttroester@cityofmadison.com
Phone emergency stormwater tips to: 1-800-847-6367
View City inspection reports here.

Links to photo documentation of this construction site's problems:
Edgewood Av Construction before the rain, 5/26/10
Edgewood Av Construction during the rain, 5/26/10
Edgewood Av Erosion Control Improvements, 6/1/10
Edgewood Av street construction during rain, 6/2/10
Edgewood Av Erosion Control Improvements before rain, 6/5/10
All photos on inlet filters from 5/26 and 6/2.

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