After 10 months of construction, City Hall has replaced a large water main serving Downtown, it was announced Tuesday.
The Third Court Water Main Replacement Project included the replacement of an aging 8-inch cast iron pipe with a new 12-inch ductile iron pipe between Broadway and Wilshire Boulevard.
City officials, in a press release, said the new main will “continue reliable delivery of water” to Downtown.
The project was divided into several phases, with crews working one block at a time, because the construction took place in the crowded Downtown. City Hall worked with Downtown Santa Monica Inc., a public-private management company that oversees Downtown, to keep business owners informed.
Two-way traffic was allowed outside of the immediate work area to preserve access to businesses and deliveries, and the work area was covered at the end of each work day and the alley reopened to pedestrians and vehicles.
In addition, work was suspended from December to January during the busy holiday shopping season.
Some of the work completed included the installation of new gate valves to allow crews to isolate small sections of pipeline to reduce impacts on businesses during future repair jobs, and service laterals to each property for fire and domestic services.
The project’s manager, Chris Lamm, said that the construction cost approximately $1 million.
“The water resource department has a general budget to do capital improvements, and this was one of the couple of projects they do yearly,” Lamm said.
