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Independence, MO —
It’s happened again.
For the third time in a month, part of 23rd Street in Independence is closed because of a water main break. The latest closure, from Hocker to Leslie avenues east of Noland Road, is expected to last through Sunday, according to city officials.
While the actual water main break repairs were made by Wednesday morning, the road closure is necessary to allow enough time for the asphalt to cool between different layers, said Denne Roe, water distribution/engineering manager for the Water Department.
Pavement work is expected to begin today, and work should be finished by Sunday morning, Roe said. The city is working alongside the Missouri Department of Transportation since 23rd Street – also Missouri 78 – is a state highway.
Water main breaks along 23rd Street have cost the city $153,000 in the past month alone. On June 5, a break closed all eastbound and westbound lanes of 23rd Street east of Missouri 291. Those repairs cost $78,000.
The next break, on June 17, inched westward from South Lee’s Summit Road to Missouri 291. That cost $85,000 to fix.
The breaks are due to peak usage of water, Water Systems Director Dan Montgomery said. He’s spoken with several other area city officials who are experiencing the same problem.
“It’s stressing out the system and any weak links in the system are going to be exposed,” Montgomery said. “There are probably places where it was just waiting for an opportunity to break – that’s what I think personally.”
Age isn’t an issue with pipe breaks, Montgomery said, adding that the 23rd Street system is from 1953.
“We’ve got mains that are a 100 years old that just don’t break,” he said. “It has something to do with that pipe there, and we’re looking at what kinds of options we have to address it. It is a concern, there’s no doubt about it.”
The city and MoDOT are working together to determine the exact cause of the breaks and to find a long-term solution, Roe said.
“We’re not exactly sure where we’re going with it yet, but we’re trying to minimize them as much as possible,” he said. “We are trying to actively do something to prevent them – we’re just not sure yet what it would take.”
Meanwhile, Mugs-Up Root Beer owner Bill Kendall said the latest road closure is having some effect on his business at 700 E. 23rd St.
It’s happened again.
For the third time in a month, part of 23rd Street in Independence is closed because of a water main break. The latest closure, from Hocker to Leslie avenues east of Noland Road, is expected to last through Sunday, according to city officials.
While the actual water main break repairs were made by Wednesday morning, the road closure is necessary to allow enough time for the asphalt to cool between different layers, said Denne Roe, water distribution/engineering manager for the Water Department.
Pavement work is expected to begin today, and work should be finished by Sunday morning, Roe said. The city is working alongside the Missouri Department of Transportation since 23rd Street – also Missouri 78 – is a state highway.
Water main breaks along 23rd Street have cost the city $153,000 in the past month alone. On June 5, a break closed all eastbound and westbound lanes of 23rd Street east of Missouri 291. Those repairs cost $78,000.
The next break, on June 17, inched westward from South Lee’s Summit Road to Missouri 291. That cost $85,000 to fix.
The breaks are due to peak usage of water, Water Systems Director Dan Montgomery said. He’s spoken with several other area city officials who are experiencing the same problem.
“It’s stressing out the system and any weak links in the system are going to be exposed,” Montgomery said. “There are probably places where it was just waiting for an opportunity to break – that’s what I think personally.”
Age isn’t an issue with pipe breaks, Montgomery said, adding that the 23rd Street system is from 1953.
“We’ve got mains that are a 100 years old that just don’t break,” he said. “It has something to do with that pipe there, and we’re looking at what kinds of options we have to address it. It is a concern, there’s no doubt about it.”
The city and MoDOT are working together to determine the exact cause of the breaks and to find a long-term solution, Roe said.
“We’re not exactly sure where we’re going with it yet, but we’re trying to minimize them as much as possible,” he said. “We are trying to actively do something to prevent them – we’re just not sure yet what it would take.”
Meanwhile, Mugs-Up Root Beer owner Bill Kendall said the latest road closure is having some effect on his business at 700 E. 23rd St.
“And then we’ve got people cutting through our lot to get out and that creates a problem, too,” Kendall said. “Of course, the heat isn’t helping anything. I worked construction for years – I know how hot it gets.”
Despite the road closure, Kendall said Mugs-Up will keep its normal hours of operation in place.
“If you start closing because of a little problem, (the customers) are going to quit coming here and will start going somewhere else. As far as we know, we’re going to stay open, even if we don’t do much business,” he said. “It’s a bummer, but there’s not a whole lot we can do about it, I guess. We’re just living with it.”
