Intersection closed for now

Repairs from a water main break at the intersection of First Ave South and Second Street South in Jamestown will keep the intersection closed through the weekend, according to Reed Schwartzkopf, city engineer. It’s expected to reopen at noon Tuesday.

A water main break under the intersection was detected at about noon Thursday. Work locating and repairing the break concluded Thursday just before midnight. The project took longer than anticipated as the leak’s location was elusive.

“The break was about 8 feet from the main,” Schwartzkopf said. “The break was about 20 feet from where the water was coming up in the middle of the street and 60 feet from where the water was coming up along the curb.”

Schwartzkopf said the cause of the leak was the age of the pipe which was beyond its estimated useful life.

The work to repair the problem meant tearing up a section of concrete street that was about 10 years old.

“It kills me that we spent millions on the street surface and left the old infrastructure under it,” Schwartzkopf said. “The pipes were well over 40 years old.”

The first hole was dug near the curb where the most water seemed to be visible. Crews then excavated along the line until the leak was found. This ultimately involved removing a 16-foot-wide section of concrete that stretched most of the way across the intersection.

Work on the intersection Friday included backfilling and packing the dirt in preparation for pouring concrete.

“After we fill the hole we have to place dowels and reinforcing rods before pouring the concrete Friday or Saturday,” Schwartzkopf said. “If we use high early strength concrete we should be able to open the road on Monday or Tuesday.”

The early strength concrete develops enough strength to withstand traffic after a day or two rather than curing for 10 days before traffic is allowed.

Sun reporter Keith Norman can be reached at (701) 952-8452 or by e-mail at knorman@jamestownsun.com

Tags: local news, news, street