Staff photo / R. Michael Semple A crew from Miller-Yount Paving of Bazetta is installing a 24-inch storm sewer pipe that will alleviate the constant flooding along Pine Avenue SE between Roanoke Avenue and Burton Street. The project should be completed by the end of April.

WARREN — Work has begun on the installation of a 24-inch storm sewer pipe aimed at alleviating the constant flooding along Pine Avenue SE between Roanoke Avenue and Burton Street.

Miller-Yount Paving of Bazetta was awarded the bid for the approximate $800,000 project. Warren Safety-Service Director Eddie Colbert said the project is being paid for with a portion of the city’s American Rescue Plan funds.

Beyond the flooding issue, former Mayor Michael J. O’Brien, who is now an at-Large councilman, previously said the Pine Avenue storm sewer project is “the most important economic development infrastructure project in years.”

“It will potentially alleviate 90% of the flooding we’ve experienced year after year on Pine Avenue. This is a public safety issue as well as an economic development opportunity,” O’Brien said at a council meeting in October.

On Monday, he explained the project’s broader significance, noting how it would prevent road closures and reduce detours that impact commuters, school bus routes and county employees.

That portion of Pine Avenue has had issues with flooding for years.

The sewer project should be finished by the end of the month.