Traffic will be detoured from the 700 block of Main St. in Melfort due to a water main replacement (Cam Lee/northeastNOW Staff)

By Cam Lee

Melfort road closure

Water main replacement to close part of Main Street in Melfort

Jun 1, 2020 | 3:22 PM

A water line that has caused the City of Melfort a number of problems in recent years is being replaced.

The 700 block of Main Street is being closed to traffic while crews install the new line.

A city news release said the project could take two to three weeks depending on the weather. Local businesses are being notified about the project, and will have access to temporary water service.

Properties on the 700 block of Main Street, and the two intersections on the north and south end will all be affected by the repair.

“This is probably one of our priority locations where we are getting our most [water main] breaks,” Director of Development, Planning and Community Relations Brent Lutz told northeastNOW.

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He said the local soil is corrosive to the old cast iron lines, and that has led to many issues in the past.

“We’ve gone in and repaired [the leaks] to the point where it’s almost impossible to connect the repair to the line any longer,” Lutz said.

The new pipes are made of a material that is unaffected by the soil, and they are more permanent, according to Lutz.

If the City of Melfort has its way, it could be the first in a number of water line replacements across the community. The city has applied for federal and provincial infrastructure funding to replace more than 12 km of water lines across Melfort. That project would cost over $19 million.

“We have not heard back in regards to that federal funding and that provincial share, so at this point, this one block is one that we’re proceeding [with] in advance of hopefully a positive response to our application,” Lutz said.

Motorists are being advised that the 700 block of Main Street. will be closed to traffic while the work is being completed, and traffic will be detoured to Manitoba Street and Alberta Street.

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cam.lee@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @camlee1974