FOLLANSBEE — Follansbee residents can expect a great deal of construction in the weeks ahead as crews prepare to build structures in the areas of Raymond and Neville streets designed to reduce flooding and implement improvements to the city’s wastewater treatment system.

On Monday, Mayor David Velegol Jr. said crews with Alex Paris Contracting of Atlasburg, Pa., are slated in three to four weeks to install a 15 foot long concrete vault below Raymond Street.

Also 15 feet deep and 5 feet wide, the box-like structure is designed to convey runoff from the hillside above the city into the Ohio River.

It will be built off-site and delivered in three large sections, each lowered into place by a crane.

Velegol said Raymond Street is expected to be closed for a few days while the work is done.

In another project designed to prevent flooding during heavy rain, the contractor will be replacing a spillway at Neville Street with a wider, 30 inch storm sewer line.

Velegol said a concrete channel will be established above the line to help prevent tree limbs and other debris from blocking the flow of the runoff.

The $2.1 million contract for Alex Paris also includes the replacement of a pump station near Center Avenue in Hooverson Heights with one equipped with two pumps, the second designed to address heavy rain.

Velegol said the first phase of the city’s $12.9 million sewer project is expected to begin on March 17 with the installation of a new, wider sewer line to the pump station at the city’s south end.

Ferri Contracting of Canonsburg, Pa. and Independent Enterprises of Pittsburgh have been signed to perform various upgrades to the city’s wastewater treatment plant and system, including the replacement of about 865 linear feet of sewer line.

The project is being supported by $10.2 million in federal funds secured by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and former U.S. Senator Joe Manchin and $2.7 million in state funds.