A section of Albemarle Street NW east of Connecticut Avenue has been closed since September 9th.
Two months ago, DC Water’s contractor found something it wasn’t expecting when it opened up a section of Albemarle Street for a manhole replacement project: a 72-inch storm drain underneath the century-old manhole structure.
The surprise find upended the agency’s plan for safely shoring up the work site and stopped the project cold.
Now, DC Water says, it has a new plan: The storm drain will be replaced with a new steel pipe and lined for enhanced structural integrity. DC Water estimates that work will be complete by the end of the year, weather permitting. Then, the brick-by-brick manhole removal and shoring can begin. Prior to the street closure east of Connecticut Avenue, the agency had predicted that the entire manhole project would be complete by year’s end.
DC Water made another unexpected discovery during a September 30th water service outage test related to the project: four water valves in need of repair, which will require addition water shutoffs. It has not announced a schedule for the work.
Here is the message that DC Water sent Friday, November 15th:
Greetings DC Water Community Stakeholders:
We are pleased to share that we have identified a solution to address the challenges posed by the unexpected 72-inch storm drain at the manhole excavation site. Below is an overview of the next steps in the process:
1. Order and Install Steel Pipe:
• Steel pipe will be ordered and custom-cut to fit the 72-inch storm drain to replace a segment of the existing pipe.
• Once the pipe is installed, it will be lined to enhance its structural integrity.
2. Shoring Work for the Manhole:
• Following the pipe installation, we will begin the necessary shoring work for the manhole demolition and replacement.
3. Coordination with PEPCO:
• We will work closely with PEPCO to de-energize existing assets within the work area to ensure a safe construction environment.
4. Anticipated Timeline:
• The 72-inch pipe replacement is anticipated to be complete by the end of this year, weather permitting.
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Paul says
A six-foot storm drain is an interesting thing to lose track of. Was there no clue — like, maybe, an outlet somewhere for the drain?
Jay says
After a massive fire damaged and shut down 9 miles of I-95 in Pennsylvania in June 2023, a temporary road was built in 2 weeks and opened to traffic. It took just 5 months for the permanent road to be re-built and opened to traffic. It will be longer than 5 months for sewer/water/road work to be completed on 1 block of Albemarle St. Shame on DC WASA, the Mayor, Member Frumin and others!
Andy says
Is “de-energize existing assets” the bureaucratic way of saying that they will be turning off our electricity?
And are the houses on Albemarle Street in or outside of the “work area”?
FHC says
The communications often create more questions than they answer. DC Water will be at tonight’s ANC meeting, FYI.
Leslie Weinberger says
DC Water needs over a year to get a project done?
The inconvenience has surely cost businesses on Connecticut Avenue.
Not inspiring confidence in your services!
When are you going to fix the water diagonally crossing Davenport St. Btw 30th & 32nd. Accidents when freeze comes!