PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — Another section of St. Andrews is getting water and sewer upgrades.
It’s part of a much larger project to update infrastructure.
Panama City commissioners awarded a bid Tuesday to Royal American Construction for extensive work on St. Andrews neighborhood roads.
They’ll be replacing water and sewer lines, repaving the roads, and adding sidewalks.
The work will take place between 13th and 14th streets, and Clay to Arthur avenues.
“This is a continuation of a project we’ve already completed. And so, we just keep moving block by block. And this represents another large area of St. Andrew’s and the city of Panama City that’s getting new water, new sewer, roads, and sidewalks,” Panama City Commissioner Josh Street said.
The water and sewer lines in the area are at least 70 years old.
Crews will be removing all the two-inch cast-iron pipes and replacing them with eight-inch PVC pipes.
“We’ll have increased fire flow increase capacity in all these neighborhoods and, you know, set us on a good fit for another generation,” Street said.
This portion of the project will cost more than $3.3 million.
“This specific project is funded through our water and sewer bills that we pay here in the city. And so, I’m looking forward to seeing those tax dollars at work,” Street said.
Construction is expected to begin in the next few weeks.
Despite the inconvenience, most residents welcome the upgrades.
“They’ve been on these streets for a couple of months. I don’t know if it’s just kind of piecemeal or how it goes, but, you know, the infrastructure does need to be fixed. You know, we know there are water issues with the sewer, but if it’s worth the cost in the time if we’re going to get where we need to be,” St. Andrews resident Cherry Jochum said.
City officials estimate this portion of the work will take about 18 months.
