Construction, Infrastructure Improvements

Pipe Enhancements in North Charlotte, Part of Larger Charlotte Water Program

Lakeview Road is open! Charlotte Water (CLTWater) recently removed the closure and traffic measures along Statesville Road near Lakeview Road, as crews worked on a large water main opening along the roadway.

The work, related to the Water Transmission Mains Improvement & Repairs (WTMIR) Program, began Monday, July 24, and lasted a couple weeks. While traffic measures like detours and lane closures are sometimes frustrating, they are necessary for the safety of work crews and the public. In this case, the water main work happened parallel to other construction activities in the area. Thus, protecting people as well as the project was a priority.

Construction foreman removing cracked pieces of the pipe’s outer layer to assess the condition of the inner steel pipe.

Planning for any construction project while continuing to maintain access for nearby businesses, residents and motorists, can be complicated. It also takes a team effort. Before the project work begins, CLTWater collaborates closely with several different groups, such as state and city partners like NCDOT, CDOT, and other construction projects, to compare traffic plans and discuss ways to mitigate potential impacts as best as possible. This is all part of the important work CLTWater continues to do daily to provide clean, safe and reliable water across the Charlotte region.

Crew members are guiding the equipment operator on where to dump stone into the trench. While fixing the pipe, stone is added in the trench to combat the wet conditions.
 

Protecting and strengthening the CLTWater system is an important part of the daily work crews do. In the Fiscal Year 2024 budget, Charlotte Water designated millions of dollars towards the systemwide repairs and improvements, designed to update some of the oldest infrastructure throughout the system.

View of the existing pipe that is damaged. The wires pictured around the pipe are called “reinforcing steel wires.” They help keep the inner steel pipe from failing when there is pressure on the line. When the outside layer of mortar cracks over time, it allows the reinforcing steel wires to be exposed to the elements. After some time, the wires will begin to rust and break. This leaves the inner pipe without reinforcement and can eventually cause a line break.

In 2015, CLTWater completed a Water Transmission Mains Assessment, which evaluated some high-risk pipe composition across the water system that could need replacement. Transmission mains are the highways of water distribution; they are large pipes that convey water from pump stations or treatment plants to the neighbor distribution water lines. Since 2019, additional assessments identified various improvements needed to optimize the function and resiliency of the existing water transmission system.

The WTMIR Program is a combination of various replacement and installation projects across the water system, grouped under an umbrella of work designed to improve the water system. The Program is broken down into Zone Areas throughout the CLTWater service area. Each Zone Area will consist of various design and construction projects, which may or may not occur simultaneously.

When a pipe is damaged, workers will cut out the bad section and replace it with a stronger, more durable, pipe. The pipe pictured here is called Ductile Iron Pipe (or DIP). This is the finished replacement.  

The importance of the WTMIR Program is to ensure water continues to flow to customers and reduces future emergency repairs that lead to unplanned water outages and traffic disruption.

Work has already been completed in several areas along Old Statesville Road, with upcoming work along Peachtree Rd, Oakdale Rd and other areas expected later this year.

For more information, visit https://www.charlottenc.gov/Growth-and-Development/Projects/Water-Transmission-Mains-Improvement-and-Repairs-Program.