MISSOULA — Monday, April 29, 2024, marked the beginning of several water main replacements in the Lower Rattlesnake area of Missoula.
The project is expected to last through the beginning of August and while there isn't expected to be much disruption to traffic, area residents may have to coordinate with the contractors at times.
City of Missoula Utility Engineer Adam Marsh detailed the order of operations to MTN.
“So we will be starting over here on Jackson Street. We'll do about two blocks from Vine up a little past Poplar. Then we'll be going on Poplar Street between Jackson and Monroe. Then the final part of the project will be on Monroe Street from Vine up a little bit past Cherry Street.”
The water mains being replaced were installed in 1914 and have been leaking. The new pipes will be the industry standard of 8" in diameter and should last another 100 years.
An important thing to note is that the old pipes were joined by a boot and a rubber gasket meaning that no lead solder was used between the joints. The old pipes themselves also were not made out of lead.
There will be a few traffic delays for local residents as the project continues.
“We will maintain local access the entire time, if you got a house here you’ll be able to access it, get into your driveway," Marsh said.
Drivers who take a shortcut through the area from Spruce to Van Buren, won’t be able to do that during the project.
Marsh said that the city is asking people to bear with them over these next several months as these projects really only happen once every 100 years.
“I just wanna thank people for their patience. I know it can be a tiring and tiresome process of having water mains replaced in the neighborhood, but it is something that we need to do and we appreciate everyone's cooper overall.”
Visit https://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/2668/Water-Projects to view a map and learn more about the projects.
