The City of Newport advises motorists that beginning the week of March 18, the City’s utility contractor, Boyle & Fogarty Inc., will begin work at Thames Street and Washington Square to replace an aging water main.Â
While overnight work is scheduled as part of the project, this phase will be performed during daytime hours between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. and require detours.
The City reminds residents and visitors that businesses will remain open and accessible throughout the project; however, traffic will be diverted around the work zone.
For those traveling on Thames Street, traffic will be diverted to Marlborough Street with a turn onto Charles Street before entering Washington Square. At that point, traffic will be given the option to turn either onto Thames Street or continue up Touro Street.
The project, which involves replacing a failed water main at Washington Square and Thames Street, is expected to take several weeks to complete.
Crews are scheduled to excavate two test pits to determine the outside diameter of the existing water main, and metal plates will be placed over the area while work is underway.
In addition to the test pits, the contractor will install a temporary water line from Washington Square, stretching approximately 200 feet along the sidewalk leading down Thames Street.
More information about this and other construction projects around town can be found online at www.CityofNewport.com/ConstructionUpdates.