Ousdahl Road to close for water main replacement

Sections of Ousdahl Road will be closed for an estimated three to five months while city crews replace a leaking water main, a spokeswoman with the Lawrence utilities department said.

The water main from 22nd to 19th streets will be replaced ahead of construction on Kansas University’s Central District so as not to disrupt that project, said Jeanette Klamm, utilities department spokeswoman.

The main is located just to the south of the Central District, an area KU is seeking to transform over the next several years.

“Based on that, we moved it ahead a little bit so we could beat them before we had to disrupt them,” Klamm said.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ousdahl+Rd,+Lawrence,+KS/@38.9479249,-95.2588226,16z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x87bf68c37dddd261:0xd609cb6b7daee3fc

Work to replace the 8-inch cast iron water main with 12-inch plastic pipe is expected to start Dec. 1 and go into April. It will cost approximately $87,000, Klamm said.

Interim City Manager Diane Stoddard will brief the Lawrence City Commission about the project Tuesday.

Klamm said the water main, which was installed in 1955, has had “quite a bit of leaks” and caused temporary road closures.

According to a city manager’s report to the City Commission, the most recent leak occurred Oct. 8-9.

Klamm said construction would come in two phases: 21st Street to 22nd Street will be completed before crews start replacing the water main from 19th Street to 21st Street.

The city manager’s report states the road will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily.

Part of the construction will be adjacent to Schwegler Elementary School. Construction will also affect a public transit route. Klamm said department officials have talked with both the Lawrence Transit System and the school district to make accommodations.

Residents who live off Ousdahl Road will have access to their driveways throughout construction, she said.

Fliers with construction information will be distributed to residents in the next few weeks.