The Town held its monthly project update with contract engineers and utility contractors for the waterline project on Wednesday, February 25. The Town has been providing the information it has been given by contractors, engineers, and NCDOT. This is a complex project in which field conditions can result in delays and alterations in work and schedules. Thank you for your continued patience during this once-in-a-lifetime project installing 4 miles of waterline for the backbone of the Town’s water distribution system to improve water quality and fire flow, as recommended in the 2007 Water and Sewer Master Plan. If you have questions, please contact Town Hall at 704-436-9800.
N. Main Street (including Crestwood and Cook Street)
On N. Main Street between North Drive and Hwy. 73 (Franklin Street), waterline installation, pressure testing, certification, and tie-ins are complete, and the line is active. Flowable fill and asphalt patch are complete. Final restoration of impacted sidewalk, curb, and pavement will be completed in March.
S. Main Street
On S. Main Street between Hwy. 73 (Franklin St.) and Lee Street waterline installation, pressure testing, certification, and tie-ins are complete, and the line is active. Flowable fill and asphalt patch are complete. Final restoration of impacted sidewalk, curb, and pavement will be completed in March.
Hwy. 49
On Hwy. 49 between N. Main Street and Hwy. 73 waterline installation, pressure testing, certification, and tie-ins are complete, and the line is active. Sidewalk restoration has been completed.
W. Franklin Street (Hwy. 73)
On W. Franklin Street between N. Skyland Drive and Main Street, waterline installation, pressure testing, certification, and tie-ins are complete, and the line is active. Flowable fill/ABC Stone and asphalt patch are complete. The road reopened on February 20. Final restoration of impacted sidewalk, curb, and pavement will be completed in March.
E. Franklin Street (Hwy. 73)
On E. Franklin Street between Main Street to Blueberry Street, main waterline installation has been completed. Flowable fill/ABC stone and asphalt patch for the main line are complete. Service tie-ins and side street cutovers and tie-ins will be taking place through the first part of March. Localized periodic service disruptions are expected March 9 through March 19 as each tie-in is completed. Final restoration of impacted sidewalk, curb, and pavement will be completed at the end of March.
Installation Process
Several people have asked why it looks like crews are constantly digging up the same areas. The general order of operations to install new waterline is as follows:
1. Cut pavement
2. Dig Trench
3. Install Line
4. Temporarily fill trench with soil
5. Once new waterline reaches specified points, pressure test and disinfect
6. Dig out trench to specified depth and fill with NCDOT approved materials depending on location of trench (appropriate combination of ABC stone and/or flowable fill per NCDOT approved pavement schedule). Engineering contractors and NCDOT conduct inspections during this process to ensure appropriate compaction. If compaction is not approved, then the fill has to be altered/remediated.
7. Pavement is restored along trenched area. Final paving will occur later when all work is complete.
8. Tie-ins are completed for each customer along the main line and each side street. This typically requires some digging around each customer’s meter box to make the connections. A 15-30 service disruption is expected. Side street tie-ins result in service disruptions of 3-5 hours for customers within the area of the tie-in. After each tie-in, crews flush hydrants to remove air and debris from the line. However, there may still be air, cloudiness, and discoloration for a day or two after tie-ins are completed. It is recommended to run an outside faucet for approximately 10 minutes to clear the line. If these issues persist, contact Town Hall at 704-436-9800.
Overall Project Schedule and Completion
All main waterline installation was complete by the end of January 2026. Final tie-ins, line operation, restoration of impacted curb & gutter, sidewalk, disturbed ground cover will continue through the end of March. The original contract timeline allowed for 450 days from project start date (February 10, 2025) for substantial completion, which is May 6, 2026. While the contractor had hoped for an accelerated timeline to have substantial completion by the end of 2025, it now appears that the project will have substantial completion by March 2026 with only punch list items remaining. This is still ahead of the contractual date of May 6, 2026. NCDOT has scheduled final resurfacing of Main Street and Franklin Street (Hwy. 73) for the spring. Town staff and contract engineers will be meeting with NCDOT to discuss the logistics and details of the planned resurfacing.
