Water main project bringing daytime road closures to Wheaton neighborhood

Drivers in a Wheaton neighborhood can expect daytime road closures on Harrison Avenue to last until next month as construction crews replace aging utility infrastructure.

Contractors are replacing the water main under Harrison east of Main Street to Washington Street, and transferring services from an older pipe to a newer one along Harrison from West to Main streets.

The city is completing the roughly $500,000 project in preparation for resurfacing on Harrison in summer 2019, said Sarang Lagvankar, Wheaton's senior project engineer. Federal dollars will fund that roadwork next year.

The detour route uses Main and President streets - both high-capacity roads - because of the heavy volume of traffic on Harrison, Lagvankar said.

Detours will remain in place during working hours for the duration of the project, but the closures will be lifted each evening. Crews are posting detour signs from about 6:30 a.m. until about 5 p.m. or sooner, depending on when they're done for the day. Contractors also are blocking the turn lane from southbound Main Street to eastbound Harrison.

Even at night, drivers should still use caution when navigating barricades and other equipment that may have to be placed on the road, Lagvankar said.

Weather permitting, the project should wrap up in early- to mid-June.