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Complications Keep Parkway Detour in PlaceBy WYDaily Staff Wednesday, January 05, 2011 An apparent leak in a 42-inch water main where it crosses the Colonial Parkway in York County could take more than a month to repair, leaving a marked detour in place for the time being.Newport News Waterworks is investigating the leak, which is located between the Parkway Drive overpass and Hubbard Lane. It was discovered earlier this week when standing water was observed on and alongside the road. The roadway itself has sustained no visible damage, but officials with the National Park Service closed the Colonial Parkway from Parkway Drive to Route 199 as a precautionary measure and decided to keep the road closed until the pipe and road repair is complete. According to a statement from Newport News Waterworks, normal water main breaks take from a few hours to a few days to repair. This break and repair is complicated by a nearby large diameter, high pressure natural gas line and the size of the water pipe itself. The water main must be drained before excavation can begin; that work is currently underway. Also complicating matters is the Parkway's pavement. It's exposed, aggregate concrete, which if removed and replaced could take upwards of 28 days to cure, according to Colonial National Historic Park officials. The 42-inch pipe is one of several that transfers untreated water from Waterworks’ western water sources (Chickahominy River, Diascund Reservoir and Little Creek Reservoir) to the terminal reservoirs (Lee Hall and Harwood’s Mill). The terminal reservoirs feed Waterworks’ two treatment plants. As with most pipe breaks, the Waterworks statement read, this repair will have no impact on water quality or Waterworks’ ability to produce water. Newport News Waterworks and officials at Colonial National Historical Park are working to establish a repair timeline that minimizes the road closure. The decision to reopen the Parkway is the sole responsibility, however, of the National Park Service, which owns the roadway. |
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Comments
There is only one interchange on the Colonial Parkway closed entirely during this detour, and it is unfortunately at Queens Lake/Hubbard Lane. The problem in the water line is just west (Williamsburg side) of the interchange. The work zone and staging of equipment will be in that area, which required the closure. Keep in mind there is also a buried gas pipeline in that area.
The water leak brings two primary issues: ice from freezing temperatures, and perhaps more importantly, an uncertainty about the integrity of the soil underneath the roadway. Because we are unable to know if the leak has caused any washing away of material under the road, it is prudent to remove traffic from the area.
We recognize the inconvenience to area residents because of the road closure, and that many Queens Lake residents use the Colonial Parkway on a regular basis. Route 199/Cheatham Annex and Parkway drive are the nearest unaffected interchanges, which is why they are utilized in the detour.