Preliminary work starts on area sewer project
by MARIO LEKOVIC
The city Department of Water Management will be working to replace 86-year-old sewers on Northwest Side streets until late summer.
Contractors started doing work to prepare for installing a sewer in Hamlin Avenue from Devon Avenue to Granville Avenue on Jan. 15, a phase of the project that is expected to last 6 to 8 weeks. Once that work is complete, the city will install new sewers Hamlin Avenue from Devon Avenue to Granville Avenue and in Granville Avenue from Harding Avenue to Ridgeway Avenue, according to department assistant commissioner Tom LaPorte.
The work by the city to install the sewers will take from mid-April to about mid-July, followed by restoration of the streets, which will take an additional 5 to 6 weeks, LaPorte said.
The area bounded by Devon Avenue on the north, Rogers Avenue on the south, Ridgeway Avenue on the east and Pulaski Road on the west will benefit from improved drainage and reduced risk of flooding, according to the department. The recent frigid temperatures have not affected the timing of the work, LaPorte said.
The department has closed eastbound Devon Avenue to traffic from roughly Avers Avenue to Ridgeway Avenue. The detour route is south on Pulaski to Peterson Avenue, east on Peterson to Kimball Avenue and north to Devon.
During the city’s phase of the project, traffic will be allowed to flow outside working hours, when a lane will be left open for local traffic. "No Parking" restrictions will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cars must be moved by the start of the next work day.
