Lebanon Mayor Rick Bell hosted an infrastructure groundbreaking ceremony today. The City of Lebanon’s Utility Department is set to replace the aging water main along South Cumberland Street and Hwy 231 South. The $2.5 million project will begin north of Jennings Avenue and continue north of Interstate 40 - replacing 6,000 linear feet of water main.
“This major investment in our community will replace aging critical infrastructure through the Hwy 231 South Business District,” Mayor Bell said. “In our strategic planning meetings, we always discuss adding infrastructure throughout the city, but it’s just as important to maintain and upgrade our existing infrastructure. This project flows through Ward 2 and Ward 3, and I appreciate the support of the Lebanon City Council, who approved this project because they understand the importance of providing the right support to a crucial part of our business community.”
The section of the water main along South Cumberland Street supplies many businesses in Lebanon with potable water. Due to the aging infrastructure, failures occur increasingly. Line breaks can result in a loss of water service to over 75 commercial properties, including hotels, retail stores, and restaurants in the area. As a result, the Lebanon Utilities Department has observed an increased frequency of service interruptions in this area. In addition, this major infrastructure improvement project will eventually introduce this area to an intermediate pressure zone that will maintain reliable, consistent service and enhance fire protection for businesses. “Businesses can’t prepare for unexpected outages and being out of water for hours at a time causes significant revenue loss when the outages occur repeatedly. Investing in this infrastructure improvement is investing in a core business district along our 231S corridor,” said Sarah Haston, Economic Development Director.
According to Lebanon Utility Engineer Roy Denney, the Lebanon Utility Department will coordinate construction work to maintain water services during the day, and the outages that will be required during construction will only occur at night. And construction will be limited to non-peak traffic times to minimize the impact on traffic flow. 