Arlington's subterranean veins are getting a modern makeover, as the city's Water Utilities department is in the midst of replacing almost a mile of century-old water distribution mains in the downtown area. The aging infrastructure, dating back to the era of President Woodrow Wilson, was spotlighted after a private contractor mishap led to the exposure and subsequent need for repairs earlier this year. "We have the in-house design and the in-house construction crews that a lot of cities don’t have that," Angelo Dupont, Arlington Water Utilities Field Operations Sector Manager, told the City of Arlington.
Streets impacted include North Mesquite Street, where a 1½-inch in diameter cast-iron main first revealed the scope of the problem. Other streets getting the upgrade treatment as part of the project are North West Street, West Front Street, North Oak Street, North Pecan Street, and East Division Street. The city's civil engineers and Capital Improvement Projects team are steering away from convention with trenchless main replacement techniques, designed to be less invasive and more cost-effective than traditional, disruptive trench-digging operations.
John Morgan, Arlington Water Utilities Senior Engineer - In-House Design, is the brains behind the blueprints, juggling the design of upwards of 30,000 linear feet of water and sewer infrastructure annually. His expertise is a cornerstone of the department's strategy, allowing for agile responses to small-scale, but vital, system improvements. "We can identify it, and then, he’ll design it and put it in the can," Angelo Dupont elaborated on Morgan's role, as per the City of Arlington. "We’ll do it when we can get to it."
