By Gus Saltonstall
A significant water main replacement project is beginning to get underway on a multi-block stretch of the Upper West Side.
The city is replacing 2,700 feet of 12-inch cast-iron water main pipes that date back to the 1870s, from West 81st to 85th streets, along Central Park West, as well as on West 83rd and 84th streets, between Central Park West and Columbus.
The old pipes will be replaced by 12-inch ductile iron pipes lined with concrete, which is a more modern, durable, and sustainable material for water mains.
The project was initiated and funded by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection and will be carried out by the city’s Department of Construction and Design [DDC].
The project, which is scheduled to be completed by June 2028, will “improve water service reliability in the area,” according to a spokesperson from the Department of Construction and Design. The timeline on the project is more extended than usual because the city anticipates “interference with other utilities that have been installed above or near these pipes over the last hundred-plus years,” the spokesperson added.
Additionally, there will be necessary water shutoffs during the project for buildings along the affected blocks between West 81st and 85th streets, according to the city. Typically, a four-day notice will be given before any water shutdown takes place.
There is a field office for the project on West 84th Street, near the corner of Amsterdam, and the job has a Community Construction Liaison who has begun to do door-to-door outreach in the area to notify residents about the work. He will also be responsible for arranging water shutdowns on the days that it is required, and during his outreach, will be determining if any residents have special needs relating to the periods where the water will be turned off, according to the DDC.
It is unclear how frequent the periods without water will be.
You can reach the liaison, Lucien Allen, with any questions at centralparkwestccl@gmail.com.
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I would really like to know how far the affected area will actually go. For example, if water is turned off on 84th Street, will it ONLY be turned off between CPW and Col, or will it be turned off for the entirety of 84th Street, from CPW to RSD?
Since no indication is given, and the general public doesn’t know how “far” a given pipe may extend, I think this is a legitimate question.
A very legitimate question. I’m surprised that the City did not offer this important information at the start.
Odd, too, that the City’s “liaison” to the public for this project has a personal GMail address, not an address either at the City or one of the contractors — ??