Fort Wayne, Ind. - Ongoing efforts by Fort Wayne City Utilities to improve river water quality by reducing combined sewer overflows (CSO) and increasing sewer capacity will move into the downtown area next week.
The Ewing Street Phase 1 sewer project will cause some lane restrictions and street closures during an eight month construction period.
Beginning Monday, September 16, the two west lanes on Ewing Street will be closed from Washington Boulevard to Main Street. These lane restrictions will run through the intersection of Berry Street, closing Berry between Ewing and Fairfield Avenue. The east curbed lane on Ewing will remain open. These restrictions are expected to last about two weeks. Pearl Street will also be closed to through traffic between Ewing and Fairfield for about two weeks.
Throughout the eight month construction period, several lane restrictions and closings will occur in the downtown area. The Division of Public Works will keep restrictions updated at: www.cityoffortwayne.org/streets.
The Ewing Street Phase 1 project is a $2.6millioninvestment to separate sewers by adding new storm sewer extensions constructed from an existing trunk line along Ewing. The extensions will be along Pearl, Main, Berry, Harrison Street, Fairfield, Fulton Street, Van Buren Street and Broadway.
Local contractor, API Construction, will install 6,920 linear feet of piperanging from 12 to 30 inchesto carry stormwater to the St. Marys River.
As part of a Consent Decree negotiated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Fort Wayne agreed to implement a number of partial sewer separation projects. Separation done by constructing new storm sewers reduces the amount of stormwater entering the combined sewer system.
For more information on the sewer separation project, visit www.cityoffortwayne.org/downtown-sewer-separation.