Clinton replacing aging water main, service lines along U.S. 12
CLINTON — Drivers going through Clinton on Michigan Avenue have had lane closures to navigate due to a construction project taking place along the roadway.
The village is in the process of replacing the old water main along the south side of East Michigan Avenue from Currier Street to Kathy Drive before there are more breaks in the pipes.
The project began March 20. The outside eastbound lane is closed during construction from Currier Street to Kathy Drive each day. The village is not recommending alternate routes because there are two eastbound lanes on Michigan Avenue.
The project cost is $239,272 and will be covered with $167,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds, $30,000 from the village’s general fund and $42,000 from its water fund.
The project also includes replacing 26 water service lines on the north side of East Michigan Avenue from Jackson Road to just east of Currier Street.
It was too costly to replace the water main under Michigan Avenue, so the contractor, Concord Excavating and Grading Inc. of Concord, is installing the water main in the right-of-way along the sidewalk. The cost estimate from OMM Engineering of Grand Rapids to replace the water main under Michigan Avenue was just under $500,000. The old water main will be abandoned in place.
The work involves removing the sidewalk and boring a new water main on the north side of East Michigan Avenue from Jackson Road to just east of Currier Street. Once the water main is installed, the water service lines will be replaced.
Water will be shut off for a few hours for each home as the water service lines are replaced.
“The contractor will coordinate with homeowners for the replacement of the water service lines. If the replacement goes smoothly, it could only be four hours,” village manager Kevin Cornish said.
There have been five water main breaks in the last three years. There have been service line breaks in the road in addition to water main breaks. The service lines to the homes are galvanized steel from the 1930s. The water main is cast iron from the 1930s. The new service lines are copper, and the new water main is ductile iron.
“We want to replace the old water main and old water service lines before they break. It is very costly to make a repair on U.S. 12. We are trying to proactively address this problem,” Cornish said.
The water main on the south side should be completed by the end of the week. The water service lines to the homes should be done in the next one to two weeks, provided the contractor can get into the homes to make the connections. The sidewalk will likely be replaced in late spring. The north side should take a couple of weeks to complete, Cornish said.
The village has expanded the project to include 12 water service lines on West Michigan Avenue from Division Street to River Street at a cost of approximately $50,800. That cost will be covered through a $12,888 reduction in the project cost, $21,300 from the village’s major road repair fund and $16,612 from its water fund. That work will also be completed by Concord Excavating and Grading sometime in September or October, Cornish said.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Clinton Michigan Avenue water main, service lines project in process
