The Orange Water and Sewer Authority is preparing to begin its construction to replace a water main in downtown Chapel Hill, with the project targeting a start of Monday, Nov. 3.
The water and sewer agency shared updates on the plan during a community meeting on Sep. 30, which detailed the phases of construction along West Rosemary Street and access plans for road users. With OWASA selecting its contractor — Moffat Pipe out of Wake Forest, N.C. — the utility has been contacting customers in the affected area and preparing the public for the extended road closure, which is estimated to last 18 months. OWASA previously delayed start dates of August and then Oct. 20, with the latest change in timeline shared on Oct. 15.
The plan, according to OWASA, is for construction crews to complete the water main replacement from west to east, spanning from West Rosemary Street’s intersection with Merritt Mill Road to Columbia Street in eight sections. Customers in each section will be connected to a temporary water main before being connected to the new water main, with service interruptions ranging from half an hour to eight hours depending on the additional connections to other major water lines. After each section is completed, temporary paving will be put in place on the road and a final paving of West Rosemary Street will be done once the entire new water main is finished.
A map of the West Rosemary Street water main replacement project by OWASA, showing which parking areas in the corridor will be available — or affected — by the phased closures. (Photo via the Orange Water and Sewer Authority.)
The project webpage on OWASA’s website says Section 1 will range from North Merritt Mill Road to North Roberson Street; Section 2 will go from North Roberson Street to Mitchell Lane; Section 3 will run from Mitchell Lane to Andrews Lane; and Section 4 will close from Andrews Lane to Church Street. After that, Section 5 will range from Church Street to Pritchard Avenue; Section 6 will go from Pritchard to North Columbia Street; and Sections 7 and 8 will complete the water main construction within the North Columbia Street-Rosemary Street intersection. Maps and detours of each closure can be found on the project webpage.
According to the contractor, construction for Sections 1-6 will take place Mondays through Fridays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sections 7 and 8 within the Columbia Street intersection will take place during the events and on weekends outside of UNC’s traditional academic calendar to “mitigate disruptions to traffic,” OWASA said in its update.
The map for Phase 1 of closures along West Rosemary Street for the water main replacement, with the dotted lines showing different detours and access points for the work site in Chapel Hill. (Photo via OWASA/DRMP.)
The water main being replaced is more than 80 years old, according to the water and sewer agency, with OWASA having taken over its operations from UNC in the 1970s. Combining its age with the pipe having suffered several breaks across the last decade, the infrastructure sits at a Level 4 out of 5 of risk of failure according to OWASA’s prioritization model. The replacement project will lay more than 3,500 feet of new, ductile iron pipe under the road and help ensure steady connections to the residents and local businesses in the West Rosemary Street corridor.
Because of the extended length of the project, OWASA said it will provide updates every Friday on the work that will be completed the following week – with the first set for Oct. 31 ahead of the start of construction. The alerts will be shared over email, the agency’ social media accounts and the project webpage. To sign up for the updates, OWASA is asking community members to complete this form.
In an interview with 97.9 The Hill, Chapel Hill Mayor Jess Anderson added that the Town of Chapel Hill will work to share those updates too.
“We will all have to be patient,” she said of the road closure and the project’s anticipated length. “The town is working to share OWASA’s traffic alerts in our weekly Our Town e-newsletter. So, if you’re wanting to stay informed, be sure to sign up.”
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect OWASA’s announcement on Oct. 15 changing the project’s start date from Oct. 20 to Nov. 3.
Featured photo by the Chapel Hill Media Group.
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