Water service is back on, however, traffic on Flint Road will be partially closed until further notice after a water main break in the area Thursday morning.
Underground Utility Crews were called to Flint Road between 21st and 22nd early Thursday morning for a break on a 20-inch line according to Public Works Director Dean Grant.
Water service was restored around 9:30 am with crews clearing the scene around 11 am. Thursday’s break heaved the street in several places and Grant says traffic between 21st and 22nd will remain closed to traffic until further notice with road repairs set to take place at a later time.
This is just the latest in a string of recent breaks as reported by KVOE News the past several days.
While breaks have been occurring with more frequency in recent days, overall, Grant says the city is in better shape than it was this time last year.
Grant adds this is the time of year when breaks may become more commonplace as due to the heat water usage is on the rise. Grant also says the recent rash of breaks is not in any way related to the ongoing 24th and Prairie waterline replacement project.
7:32 am Thursday: Part of Emporia’s Flint Road heavily damaged by overnight water main break
Water mains are having issues across Emporia, and that includes an ongoing trouble spot in northwest Emporia.
Crews were dispatched to Flint Road between 21st and 22nd early Thursday morning. The water main break heaved the street in several places and has put the pavement downstream at risk of collapse, according to City Communications Manager Christine Torrens. The affected part of the street is closed until further notice.
The break on Flint Road follows almost 10 different water main breaks in town since Tuesday morning, including six Wednesday. Given the number of prior failures up and down the street nearby, the issues on Flint Road have drawn more attention to the 24th and Prairie waterline replacement project that started earlier this month. Public Works Director Dean Grant, KVOE’s Newsmaker guest Wednesday, says the replacement work is going well so far.
Over the next year or so, the 24th and Prairie work will add almost 13,000 linear feet of new water pipe, ranging from 6 to 24 inches in diameter. Over 30 new service lines and other infrastructure will be added as well.
Grant says the project was originally set as two separate but connecting projects, but it made sense to make both zones part of the same project. He also says this work rolls into the Southeast Transmission Line project from 12th and Garfield to Peyton and Carter. The city is starting to bring equipment and materials in to start that project later on.
