Oct. 01--Although no workers or lane closures aggravated motorists Sept. 30, construction crews were set to return to a stretch of North Fifth Avenuebetween North Avenue and Country Club Road, according to St. Charles officials.
Local residents and businesses will have to wait up to two more months for the water service improvements that the almost six-month-old water main replacement project was designed to provide.
"This project is vital to maintaining safe and reliable service to residents," said Peter Suhr, director of public works. "We apologize for the inconvenience and ask for your continued patience."
The $2.68 million project is replacing 5,400 feet of deteriorating water mains along the 1.2-mile stretch of Fifth Avenue that starts parallel to Potawatomie Park and ends just south of the Q Center on the west side and the St. Charles Country Club on the east side. Mains also were replaced along Iroquois Avenue between Fifth and Third avenues and along Allen Drive east of Fifth Avenue.
Mains in the area were breaking frequently, interrupting service to homes and businesses, according to a Public Works Department press release.
"The project is about 75 percent complete," said Public Works Department engineer Karen Young. "All the new mains are in the ground."
The work was originally projected to end in September.
"Our next step is to connect the new mains and switch service over from the old mains," Young said.
No single factor caused the delays in the project, Young said.
"It's a complex project, with many different tasks that have to come together, and we've run into some problems with the details," she explained. "We've also had some weather delays."
As work progresses, the Public Works Department will continue to keep at least one lane open in each direction along Fifth Avenue, and will replace the temporary pavement patches with permanent patches, Young said.
"We've been working with residents and businesses to keep the work sites clean and the road open as much as possible, and we'll keep doing that until the work is completed," she added.
For more information, visit the project page on the city's website.
Denise Linke is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
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