BLADENBORO — Work to clean up the Bryant Swamp canal is expected to begin soon.
“D.G. Jackson Construction got the job,” Blake Proctor wrote in an email.
The cleanup will be begin where Richardson Road crosses the canal. This is just west of town. From there it will move east upstream to terminate at the N.C. 211 bypass east of the town limit.
The project will also include five tributaries within the town limits.
“They signed the contract May 17,” Proctor said.
The town has been going through the bidding process, with this starting off the work that will begin in about two weeks.
“The contract calls for completion no later than Oct. 31 of this year,” said Proctor, the town administrator.
Town and county leaders have advocated for the work to be done as soon as possible. The canal plays a role in what happens to the town when storms, such as hurricanes Matthew and Florence, come through.
Barring unexpected problems, he said the work will be done much sooner than that, and probably by early to mid-August. Hurricane season begins June 1 and goes to Nov. 30. Matthew struck the region in October 2016, and Florence came in September of last year.
Proctor said that the project should help when there is another large rain or weather event.
The second phase of the project will involve Wateree Creek, beginning south of the CSX rail line. From there it will go north through Wateree Park to a point 100 feet east of Butler Mill Road.
Wateree Park is close to where some of the work will occur.
The Bryant Swamp canal project is going to be underway in the next few weeks with the hopes that it will alleviate the problems stemming from flooding.