“The water flowing out of that pipe caused the roadway underneath to sag and collapse,” said Oakwood Director of Public Safety Alexander Bebris.
The pipe had a four-foot split in it,Bebris said. The water pressure caused the street to crack.
Crews spent most of Tuesday preparing to lay down new gravel on the road, and using trucks to remove chunks of the damaged street.
“We have to dig out and expose the section of pipe that had been damaged,” Bebris said. “Once that is replaced, we will reconstruct the roadway up to standard.”
New blacktop is scheduled to be installed today weather permitting. Bebris said the city plans to have the work completed by Thursday.
The city did not have an estimate Tuesday on how much it is costing to replace the water main.
While the construction is underway, officials are asking drivers to slow down while they travel through the area and give themselves extra time to reach their destinations.
“There is going to be somewhat of a bottleneck in that area while the work is being done,” Bebris said. “Be aware of the other vehicles and pedestrians around you.
Felicica Tucker, 36, who lives in Oakwood, said she has seen several drivers ignoring the signs and orange barrels on the road.
“They have continued to speed through there,” Tucker said. “We need to have the construction zones further up the road to give people more time to slow down.”
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