Construction is set to begin this summer on a 72-inch water line project between Mount Vernon Street in Montrose to Crawford Street in Midtown. The project is intended to increase the capacity of the city’s drinking water.

The $48.8 million project will affect parts of Tuam, Fannin, Holman, Garrott, Emerson, Hawthorne and Kipling streets as well as Audubon Place. Although the water line runs through Crawford Street in Midtown, additional elements of construction will affect Tuam Street through Hamilton Street.

According to Engage Houston, the water line will carry portable water to Houston’s Southwest Pump Station. The project also includes improvements to small-diameter wastewater and water utilities, traffic signals and street signs; the replacement of street lights; the removal, protection and planting of trees; and new concrete pavement for sidewalks.

Once the project begins, work is expected to take place over the course of 24 months. The project is expected to be completed in summer 2024.

Houstonians living in the project area should expect their utilities to be affected by the replacement of small-diameter water lines, officials said. The contractor on the project will have to connect the new water line to the existing water system.


Wastewater disruptions should also be expected during the replacement and rehabilitation of the sanitary sewers. A 72-hour notice will be given to residents beforehand.

During a June 23 meeting for the project, Kenya Williams, a member of the Houston Public Works Department public engagement team, said some property owners may have open excavations in their yards. The city and those working on the projects are granted full access to the right of way, and, once completed, everything will be restored to city standards, she said.

Property owners are encouraged to take pictures of sprinkler systems and their yards beforehand to help contractors when it comes to repairs after an excavation, she said. In instances when fencing or major landscaping encroaches into the right of way, property owners will be given a two-week notice to remove and relocate it.

A traffic control plan and temporary driveways with 24/7 access will be implemented, and disruptions to property owners and businesses are not expected, said P.K. Kuruva, managing engineer with Capital Projects.