Oak Ridge Today

Crews clearing roads, repairing water line breaks

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Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge

Oak Ridge crews are working to clear roads and repair water line breaks.

The Oak Ridge Public Works Department worked through the night to clear main roads, according to the city government. Melton Lake Drive and South Illinois Avenue are back open.

The department will begin to plow side streets once main roads are good for driving, the city said.

“While every city street was brined or treated before the storm, it was no match for this amount of snow combined with continued low temperatures,” the city said.

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City crews work on 35 water line breaks this month

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An Oak Ridge Public Works Department crew repairs a broken water line underneath Northwestern Avenue near Nevada Circle at lunchtime Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018. The crew here is supervised by Oak Ridge Public Works Department Utility Line Maintenance Crew Chief Michael Brown. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

An Oak Ridge Public Works Department crew repairs a broken water line underneath Northwestern Avenue near Nevada Circle at lunchtime Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018. The crew here is supervised by Oak Ridge Public Works Department Utility Line Maintenance Crew Chief Michael Brown. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge crews have responded to 35 water main breaks since January 1, an average of about five per day, City Manager Mark Watson told City Council members on Monday.

There could be more water line breaks as the temperature warms, Watson said.

The city is plotting the water line breaks on a map for more comprehensive repairs.

Cast-iron water pipes can break when the ground shifts as it freezes and then thaws in cold winter weather. [Read more…]