With the Southeast Transmission Waterline replacement project now at “substantial completion,” Emporia City Engineer Jim Ubert says the engineering department is already preparing for its next scheduled projects.
The city announced completion of the Southeast project, which stretches nearly 5 miles from 12th and Garfield to Industrial Park III, with over 24,000 feet of new pipe, earlier this week, commemorating the milestone with a ribbon-cutting. Ubert tells KVOE News that the three-year project, and other related work, will extend the city’s water service system by 80 to 100 years.
Ubert also noted this was the “biggest” of the city’s planned projects over the last few years as part of its ongoing water line improvement efforts. With the project wrapped up, Ubert says the city’s work is far from complete, noting infrastructure is an item you always have to reinvest in.
With that in mind, he tells KVOE News the next planned projects for the city will come at Weaver Street and the Becker addition over the next few months.
While these are the two most notable planned projects on the city’s radar, Ubert again noted the amount of reinvestment needed to ensure a system is running efficiently, saying the city has projects planned for over the next three to five years.
Phase 1 of the Southeast Transmission work dates back to 2024, when the city installed a larger pipe on Peyton Street as a way to link the city’s water towers — but Southeast actually became Phases 13-15 of major water improvements dating back to 2017, shortly after a massive water main failure near 15th and Prairie. Besides replacing water pipes that were at times over 100 years old, the work over the last decade has been designed to improve water pressure and consistency across town, especially to the city’s biggest water users in Industrial Park III in far southeast Emporia.
8:25 am Friday: Southeast Transmission reaches substantial completion, ending 9-year, 15-phase project to improve water flow
A major, 3-year push to improve water service across Emporia is now done.
The city of Emporia had a ribbon-cutting ceremony this week to celebrate the “substantial completion” phase for the Southeast Transmission waterline replacement project, ending a nearly year-long project that had work from 12th and Garfield to South and Carter. Over 24,000 linear feet of new pipe was installed, along with over 220 new service lines and related water infrastructure work.
The work also follows almost a year’s worth of construction for the 24th and Prairie waterline project, which saw new, larger pipe installed from the Water Treatment Plant near 24th and Industrial east to Prairie and south to 12th. That project ended as Southeast began.
Phase 1 of this round of work dates back to 2024, when the city installed larger pipe on Peyton Street as a way to link the city’s water towers — but Southeast actually became Phases 13-15 of major water improvements dating back to 2017, shortly after a massive water main failure near 15th and Prairie. Besides replacing water pipes that were at times over 100 years old, the work over the last decade has been designed to improve water pressure and consistency across town, especially to the city’s biggest water users in Industrial Park III in far southeast Emporia.
