A member of employee-owned NIS Construction operates an excavator on the 1000 Block of Third Avenue Northwest.
NIS is replacing an aged water main on the block — one of four consecutive blocks from Caribou Street to Saskatchewan Street scheduled for water main replacement this season.
The 1000 block has fewer connections than most blocks as the west side has one connection — St. Agnes School. The St. Joseph Church connects from behind the church.
The work has inconvenienced the many parents who drive children to school, pick them up for lunch, drive them back, and pick them up after school is out. Third Avenue and part of Oxford Street are closed to traffic.
The Third Avenue project was scheduled to start before school but two last minute project additions on the High Street project and rains delayed progress.
The new water line is parallel to the old rotten cast iron line. Leaving the old water line in place running down the middle of the street saves time and money.
The city has embarked on a 20-year program to replace cast iron water mains. In its fifth year, the program has replaced about 15 per cent of the lines, instead of the 25 per cent target.
Ron Walter can be reached at [email protected]
