City to begin stormwater project

Pat Kimbrough, The High Point Enterprise, N.C.
·1 min read

Apr. 18—HIGH POINT — The city has finalized construction plans for a stormwater-improvement project in part of a flood-prone High Point neighborhood.

Beginning May 6, part of Kensington Drive will close for several months for a series of upgrades to address long-standing storm drainage problems in this low-lying portion of Emerywood Forest near Dovershire Place and Ashley Avenue.

The city has been working with neighborhood residents toward a solution for several years, and scaled back the improvements to accommodate homeowners who did not want their property impacted by construction.

This would have entailed stabilization of a stream that runs through the back yards of several houses on Kensington Drive to try to keep it from overrunning its banks and flooding streets and homes.

Instead, the project will mainly involve upsizing drainage pipes, including the installation of a 54-inch stormwater line under the road.

The prime contractor for the project is Breece Enterprises of High Point, which was awarded a $1.3 million contract for the work by the City Council in February.

Traffic will be detoured around the work zone once construction begins.

Prior to this, Piedmont Natural Gas will be relocating a gas main within Kensington Drive, and High Point Electric crews may begin relocating a utility pole.