Reading Water Main Project Moves Forward After Wednesday Incident

READING, MA — A water main break near downtown Reading will not impact the timeline of larger work on the town's downtown water infrastructure, Director of Public Works Jane Kinsella told Patch on Wednesday.

The incident will prompt a change in the sequence and timing of work. But crews will still be able to wrap up on schedule, Kinsella said.

The town previously announced around 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday that homes and businesses on Walkers Brook Drive, Bolton Street, General Way and Ash Street had lost water service after a series of old water main valves failed. The failure came during preparation work for the downtown water main project, the town said.

While residents may see some temporary water discoloration due to changing water flow, Kinsella said around 2:45 p.m. that crews were able to restore water service to most affected residents and businesses after "a very short period of time" via backup and bypass plans.

Town contractors are beginning work to upsize and line downtown water mains, which are some of the oldest in Reading.

The valves that failed on Wednesday were already scheduled for replacement, Kinsella said. The project, meanwhile, is scheduled to be complete early next year, according to a town update on July 20.

While this incident prompted some traffic impacts, Kinsella said those would be limited to Wednesday afternoon as crews connect new valves and mains.

The town previously detailed more long term impactsof downtown work, saying that construction is not scheduled to affect accessibility to local businesses. Where certain phases of the project may impact driveways, the town said, contractors "will make every effort to provide temporary access to these properties."