Town officials are calling for understanding from New Canaan residents and downtown visitors as the long-discussed replacement of a water main on Elm Street gets underway.
The installation on Elm between Park and Grove Streets will start Monday, with work from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. for about two weeks, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann.
“There will then be a time for pressurizing and testing the line as well as chlorinating and disinfecting the line,” Mann said in an email. “After that period of testing and disinfecting, there will be another two weeks of construction where the individual service lines are connected to the new main line.”
The affected segment of Elm Street will accommodate one-way traffic during the project, he said.
Motorists traveling eastbound—approaching downtown New Canaan from the Weed Street side—will be detoured down Grove Street and onto Pine Street, Mann said. Westbound traffic will be able to travel on Elm Street in a single lane, he said.
Police will be stationed at either end of the detour as well as on Elm Street itself “to direct traffic into and out of the local businesses,” which will be open, Mann said in the email.
Officials have said since last year that the water main work would be hugely disruptive. The public works director in March referred to 2021 as “the year of infrastructure in the downtown,” calling for patience from locals with long-planned water main, natural gas and sewer projects.
“We thank you in advance for your help, patience and cooperation,” Mann said in the email.
Thank you for the update.
Will they be painting yellow lines on Pine Street anytime soon? It’s looked like an unmarked back country road for at least 5 years with no yellow line down the middle and no white arrows on the street to let people know – especially new homeowners in town – there are two lanes at the light when making a left or right onto Park Street. It’s a mini autobahn driving situation on Pine Street, and new teen drivers and others unfamiliar with the turning lane at the light need a yellow line.