Water main improvements start early near Sunset Park

WASHINGTON — Contractors have begun boring a hole six feet below ground in Sunset Park as they install new water infrastructure in the area. The project is expected to take several months, but when finished, will provide a water main that breaks less often than the current one under West Madison Street and doesn’t necessitate highway lane closures to repair.

“I couldn’t wait for this day to come, this year or next year, when they get that all completed,” City Maintenance and Construction Superintendent JJ Bell said. “It’ll save us working in the middle of traffic, in the middle of night or during the day. It can be dangerous out there.”

The old water main, buried under West Madison Street/Highway 92, will be abandoned once the new equipment comes online, according to Bell.

Construction began last week, months ahead of schedule. Bell said materials weren’t expected to arrive until next year thanks to a supply chain holdup, but that the timeline moved up when another contractor in the area offered excess materials from an unrelated project.

“It’s a little bit different cast, I think it’s copper-coated, but good enough for what we need it for,” he said. “I think if they started in the spring, it was going to take them the better part of a year, so I would say — it depends on the winter — they can get a good chunk of it knocked out this year.”

Bell said crews would likely keep South F Avenue closed for the next few weeks, but that the process would otherwise leave the park and its users undisturbed save for occasional construction noise.

The boring process won’t leave an open trench, according to Bell, but will dig out a tunnel about six feet underground for the new 8-inch pipes. At that depth, he said he expected minimal harm to the area’s trees.

“There’s going to be trees that will be in the way … they might cut some roots as they’re going through there or at least bend them out of the way as they’re pushing pipe through,” he said. “Picture a mole, but six feet down, making a trench through there.”

The project runs for a little over $1.3 million, according to Washington city council meeting minutes published Aug. 10, which said $600,000 of the money came from a Community Development Block Grant awarded in 2021.

That cash also covers water main replacements across town, on East Main Street between South 12th and South 15th avenues, according to the same meeting minutes. In sum, city documents say the work entails construction of roughly 3,490 feet of 8-inch water main, service pipe, hydrants, valves, and street patching.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com