Rough ride on city streets
Motorists are encountering some bumpy streets in Butler as Pennsylvania American Water is replacing the 80-year-old water mains along West Jefferson and West Cunningham streets.
The project is expected to be done in early May, a spokesman said.
The line replacements, which include almost one mile of main water lines, will improve service reliability and increase water flow for firefighting.
Company spokesman Gary Lobaugh said the projects in Butler amount to about $960,000 and started in early April.
The company does not anticipate any disruption of service as a result of the upgrades, and recommends that drivers use caution along the streets from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The work will limit traffic to one lane on both streets, and the work zones will be controlled by flaggers.
This work is part of a $3 million project that will replace more than three miles of aging water main in Butler County. Other than the city, the company intends to upgrade infrastructure on South Rebecca Street and West Water Street in Saxonburg.
The company has said it expects to complete pipe replacement, service connection tie-ins, and “final paving restoration” by late summer.
Also causing traffic problems in the city is the shutdown of the bridge over Sullivan Run at the intersection of Jefferson and Cunningham streets.
That is a $2.2 million project by the state Department of Transportation to replace the bridge with a box culvert. The work is expected to shut the bridge down until mid-October, and has sparked concerns among some business owners in the area that the closure will hurt their shops.
As part of the bridge project a posted detour is taking drivers to Hansen Avenue, Pittsburgh Road, Main Street and Jefferson Street.
