UPDATE: City’s Water Distribution System Improvements Project

In days ahead, the City’s $7.7 million Water Distribution System Improvements (Phase 1 and 2A) project may extend to your neighborhood.

Specifically, on or around Thursday (September 7), excavation and water line replacement work will impact:

Walnut Avenue – 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 113, 115, 117, 119 and 121; and

Forest Lawn – 109.

Tap replacement work will follow at a later date.

Beginning on Monday (August 28) at the earliest, excavation and water line replacement work will impact the following addresses on East Main Street: 167, 173, 175, 177, 183, 185, 189, 191, 193, 195, 201, 203, 205, 207 and 211.

Work is continuing on these East Main Street addresses: 211, 215, 219, 223, 227, 229, 233, 237, 239, 243, 245, 247, 249, 251, 253, 255 and 257.

For the above East Main Street addresses, tap replacement work will follow at a later date.

Tap replacement work continues on:  Spring Park Avenue; Elm Street; and Kell Lane.

Excavation work began on July 19, 2023, in the following area:

East Lawn – 101;

Forest Lawn – 100 through and including 112; and

Walnut Avenue – 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 113, 115, 116, 117, 119 and 121.

Excavation work is continuing in this area:

Young Lane – 199, 203, 205, and 214;

Neff Street – 101; and

Locust Lane – 100 through and including 116.

Additional boring, water line installation, and tap replacement work will occur at a later date.

The City Council voted to award this contract to The James White Construction Company of Weirton, WV, a firm with experience in this type of work and which presented the lowest and best bid.  The subcontractor retained to perform the boring work is D&D Underground, which trucks may or may not contain company information.

As this project progresses, residents may experience periodic:

• traffic in neighborhood where construction/boring work is ongoing; and
• no “on street” parking to allow the contractor to perform the needed work.

The contractor will cooperate with residents to provide temporary access to existing driveways during this period.  Sidewalks, streets, yards, etc. will be restored after completion of the work.

If you have not already done so, please sign up for the Belmont County CodeRED emergency notification system.  The City’s Utility Office places calls to City residents using CodeRED to alert them of time-sensitive or emergency issues around the City.  To the greatest extent possible, the Utility Office narrows the scope of the notifications so that only the residents who need the information are contacted.  The CodeRED system is the most efficient and timely way to communicate information to residents impacted by the construction / installation of new water lines.  Staff in the Utility Office can quickly set up in CodeRED a resident’s desired method of contact.  The City administration urges all residents to take advantage of this convenient, free service.

The City appreciates residents’ cooperation as this important project moves forward.  The inconvenience which residents face will be temporary but necessary.  The City estimates that over the last ten years, it has spent roughly $2 million dollars to fix water line breaks in nearly 100-year-old pipe under the City.  This project is the first step in eliminating this wasteful spending and improving the quality of the City’s water and water delivery network.

Additional work and notifications will follow later.  If questions, please call the City’s Utility Office (740-695-1410) between 8:30 A. M. and 4:30 P. M.; after normal business hours, please leave a message with the answering service.  Thank you.