GLWA plans $81M water main replacement in Farmington Hills
GLWA announces $81M water main improvement plans
About 10 to 15 feet below the ground is a major water main that has seen better days. GLWA says the pipe has been a significant problem because it has broken four times in the past seven years, causing flooding, traffic delays and seemingly endless construction.
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (FOX 2) - After a series of water main breaks over the past few years, the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) is planning an $81 million project to replace six miles of pipe in Farmington Hills.
Big picture view:
About 10 to 15 feet below the ground is a major water main that has seen better days. GLWA says the pipe has been a significant problem because it has broken four times in the past seven years, causing flooding, traffic delays and seemingly endless construction.
Now, the agency has decided to replace it altogether.
The project will take place in two phases along 14 Mile Road. Phase one will run from Haggerty Road to Farmington Road. Drivers should expect major traffic disruptions as crews tear up the roadway.
Phase two is expected to have less of an impact on traffic. It will span from Farmington Road to Inkster Road, where crews will also install a special fiber optic cable to monitor the condition of the new pipe.
Why is this pipe a problem?
It was expected to last 100 years, but after only about 50 years, it has deteriorated much faster than anticipated.
"We were in the pipe five years ago, and it was fine," said GLWA CEO Suzanne Coffey. "For it to have degraded from the point where it was fine five years ago to breaking apart the way it did is unprecedented. These other pipes across the world, some of them have a rapid degradation. That's why we've lost confidence in this pipe. It is a big project. That first phase is going to be very disruptive to traffic. There's just no way around it. To get that deep, we're going to have to be in the roadway."
What's next:
Surveying is underway now. Construction is expected to begin in November and continue through 2028.