December 5, 2018 at 3:58 p.m.
Water main under Davenport Street Bridge replaced
Water main under Davenport Street Bridge replaced
According to the city's public works department, a valve on the major water main underneath the bridge was inadvertently left closed last fall when work was being done on the west side of the bridge.
When the valve was opened this spring, it was discovered the main had frozen and burst, public works director Tim Kingman explained, adding that the line was taken out of service at that time.
"It was not determined who operated the valve last, the city elected to go ahead with the repair," Kingman said.
The work being done by Janke General Contractors of Athens includes replacing the pipe over the river and pressure testing it where it hooks into the system to make sure there are no other breaks.
Kingman told the city's water and wastewater committee the method Janke is using is unique in that the platform the workers are using is suspended over the edge of the bridge and then moved into position by a backhoe.
"This is the third time that this has been done, yet this was the right equipment to do it with," Kingman told the committee. "It was highly inventive how he got down there safely. But this, by far, is the safest and you can do it in the middle of winter, which is saying something."
Kingman said the original construction on the main under the bridge took place in 2013 as part of the interceptor protect.
Some additional water and sewer work was done on the west side of the river in 2016 at the same time as the streetscape project, Kingman added.
If everything checks out with the new line, it should be back in service by early next week, he added..
Jamie Taylor may be reached via email at [email protected].
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