Narrow right of way and ancient oak trees will be costly to overcome when the Village installs a sewer collection system in the Main Street area.

Village engineer Rick Kasberg told aldermen this during a special workshop session with Bobby Littlefield from Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT).

TXDOT will allow the use of its right-of-way for the sewer pipeline, as long as there are no permanent structures under the actual pavement of Main Street.

TXDOT will not allow Main Street to be cut for the cross pipes of the sewer system. Instead, the Village must bore beneath the pavement in order to cross Main St.

Of course, this could change if the Village were to take over Main Street from the state. TXDOT has made overtures to the Village for the past several years to turn Main Street over for local maintenance and ownership.

Aldermen questioned Littlefield about the Main Street bridge. Littlefield explained that if the Bridge goes “off system,” that TXDOT would still be responsible for the future replacement of the bridge. “It will just take longer,” he added.

Littlefield said that TXDOT would be willing to put down a surface with a 20-year lifespan when it resurfaces Main Street at the completion of the I-35 expansion, if Salado were to agree to take over ownership of Main Street.

“You won’t have to do anything for 20 years,” he said.

This would also lessen the tough restrictions that TXDOT maintains with utilities concerning the right of way and cutting pavement.

This would do away with the necessity for horizontal boring under the highway and could drastrically decrease the cost of the sewer collection system.

The toughest portions of the Main Street sewer are in the areas where the right of way goes from 100 feet to just 60 feet in the downtown areas near Pace Park and Thomas Arnold.

Littlefield also reported to aldermen that the bridge over Campbell’s Branch (at Main Street and Rock Creek), is slated to be replaced in 2017.

TXDOT will resurface Main Street, widening the pavement, after the expansion of I-35 through Salado is completed. He said that the resurfacing could be delayed for a short time to allow the Village to install the sewer down Main Street.

Mayor Skip Blancett said that he hopes the Village could begin that process in May 2016.