The $1.6 million project is being paid for with funds the Town of New Glasgow received through Infrastructure Canada’s Clean Water and Waste Water Fund.
New Glasgow town engineer Earl MacKenzie said this project involves eliminating two pipes made of cast iron and between 18 and 14 inches in diameter and replacing them with two 20-inch pipes made of ductile iron.
The contract for the project was awarded to Dexter Construction, which began work on Aug. 7 and is expected to finish in December if all goes according to plan.
Right now they are currently working on putting a pipe under McLellans Brook. The water lines will then go through that pipe.
Other sections of the water line were upgraded in 1988 when the Trans Canada Highway was twinned through the area. A section along East River Road was also upgraded when the widening project took place several years ago.
While the work is currently not interfering with traffic, in the coming months traffic may be reduced to one lane along East River Road to accommodate the construction, MacKenzie said.
As far as the water supply is concerned, MacKenzie said there isn’t expected to be any major disruptions although there may be some very short disruptions as they connect the new laterals to the main line.