About 900 linear feet of existing 6-inch water lines that run between South Union Avenue and South Houston Avenue will be replaced with an 8-inch water line, according to a press release. That part of the project will last until August.
Additionally, another 100 linear feet of 8-inch water line will be relocated from the East South Street intersection toward Common Street. MGC Contractors will lead the project, which is expected to begin in early July and be completed in mid-August.
The water lines date back to at least the 1950s but are only being replaced so the city can fully repave the neighborhood roads, NBU Chief Water Engineer Shawn Schorn said.
“We're lowering it so that the city can come in and make a full pavement repair,” Schorn said.
The added diameter in the new lines also likely will not provide a significant change in water pressure.
“In terms of high demand, you can see the pressure won't drop as much, but it's not really going to; it's not going to provide higher pressure,” he said.
Roadways are expected to be closed intermittently to through traffic, but residences and businesses will have vehicular access at all times, according to the release. Minor detours might be required for short periods during water line and customer service tie-ins to the new line. Those detours for residents will begin in late July through mid-August, and 48-hour advance notice will be provided for any water outages to occur during that time to tie in new water lines.
