City of Pullman works to repair intersection affected by a water main break

PULLMAN - The City of Pullman has begun to repave and restore the intersection at Grand Avenue and Center Street after a major break in a main water line.

Construction to repair the damage caused by a Sept. 17 water main break at the intersection started Monday, Mayor Glenn Johnson said during Tuesday’s city council meeting. Contractor Motley-Motley Inc. will reconstruct the intersection and are expected to work through the end of this week, according to a news release.

Issues at the intersection started Sept. 17 when a 7-foot segment of an older section of a pipe broke, and city crews had to shut down water supply after the break flooded the intersection, according to past Daily News reporting. Some Pullman homes were briefly left without water that night, and were advised to boil water until Sept. 20, according to past reporting.

City crews were able to repair the water main and restore water service to the residents the morning after the break, but the roads remained rough because of emergency repairs, according to past reporting.

“I’ve got to hand it to the maintenance, operations and our water department for the excellent work in terms of getting that shut down and getting the road back open by late that night,” Johnson said at the council meeting. “They did a heck of a job, the crews worked fast and we really appreciate that hard work.”

This week, construction crews are paving the intersection and reconstructing curbs for about 300 feet north on Grand Avenue from Center Street, and for about 50 feet west on the northern lane of Center Street from Grand Avenue.

Matt Young, city communications coordinator, said crews estimated flagging operations to take place between Monday and Tuesday, but because of various complications, traffic control will be delayed to Thursday or Friday morning if it rains. He added that the duration of repairs has been extended because the project engineer said the thickness of the asphalt has become a problem.

According to Young, crews will need to pave 6 inches of asphalt but cannot do it all at once. Instead, they will split repairs into two phases, with crews first doing a base lift and later doing a top lift to restore the roadway.

Young said Center Street and Grand Avenue will be open without any flagging Friday afternoon, but sometime next week drivers can expect traffic control and flagging while crews pave the top layer.

While the intersection is under construction, vehicle operators are advised to drive cautiously, anticipate delays and avoid the area during peak commuting hours, according to the release. Construction is scheduled to take place weekdays from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on-street parking is prohibited in the work zone.

More information about construction is available at the city’s traffic control website at bit.ly/3UO6BxZ.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com or on Twitter @Emily_A_Pearce.