The Orange Water and Sewer Authority provided an update on its on-going W. Rosemary Street water main replacement process, which it said is nearing the halfway point.

In a Thursday release, OWASA said the project to replace the street’s 80-year-old water main will now include weekend work on top of current weekday work, and will require a change in traffic patterns.

“We’re approaching the halfway mark of this project,” said OWASA Project Manager Darren Berger. “So far, we’ve spent much of our time on the west end of the street. Soon, we’ll spend several days working at Rosemary Street and N. Columbia Street. We appreciate everyone’s continued patience as we work to this historic improvement to the sustainability and reliability of the downtown community’s water infrastructure.”

OWASA said it expects its work on the Rosemary Street and N. Columbia Street intersection to last around five days, beginning on Wednesday, July 8 and wrapping up on Monday, July 13. 

During this time, workers will close one northbound lane and one southbound lane on Columbia Street, which will lead to slower traffic. Rosemary Street itself will be entirely closed around the intersection with N. Columbia Street, and will not be possible to turn onto Rosemary from N. Columbia in either direction. Drivers looking to access W. Rosemary Street can do so via Church Street, and E. Rosemary will be accessible from Henderson Street.

“We continue to encourage folks to support local businesses who are affected by construction. They are still open, easy to get to, and need everyone’s support,” said the Chapel Hill’s Business Vitality Manager, Sarah Potter. “West Rosemary Street is open to local traffic; you just have to be mindful of where construction crews are working each day.”

The replacement with 3,500 feet of new, ductile iron pipe under the road aims to cut down on the amount of breaks and leaks suffered in the downtown corridor in recent years and limit OWASA’s risk of failure to the key piece of infrastructure.

OWASA’s work on W. Rosemary Street began in November 2025 after two delays, and was initially projected to last 18 months. In February 2026, the street was fully closed from North Merritt Mill Road to North Roberson Street as the utility agency began work on the first phase of replacement.

 

Featured image via Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group

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