The city is blaming aging infrastructure amid criticism from residents and businesses following multiple recent water main and gas main breaks in a construction zone on Route 47 in Woodstock.
The City of Woodstock said in an alert on Monday afternoon that the city was responding to a water main break near Route 47 and North Street.
“Affected businesses and residents will be notified as soon as possible, and we’ll continue to provide updates as repairs progress. Thank you for your patience and understanding,” the alert said.
“Would this be the 5th water main break, beside the gas line break and Comcast cable break?” one commenter said on social media.
“I’m getting scared for our town, it’s either gas lines or water main breaks. I mean they almost blew up St Mary’s a few years ago,” another commenter said.
The water main break was the second in less than a week after one occurred on Route 47 South of Lake Avenue on Thursday afternoon.
Businesses in the area experienced a water outage as repairs were underway.
“Once water service is restored, a Boil Water Order will be issued for the impacted area as a precaution. Affected businesses will be notified as soon as possible, and we’ll continue to provide updates as repairs progress. Thank you for your patience and understanding while we work to restore service as quickly and safely as possible,” an alert said.
Part of Route 47 in Woodstock was completely shut down for hours after a construction crew hit a natural gas line, causing a large gas leak in the 500 block of Route 47 on July 24.
Woodstock Fire/Rescue District Public Information Officer Alex Vucha said a construction crew struck a natural gas line near the roadway along Eastwood Drive south of McHenry Avenue.
Firefighters arrived and confirmed an active natural gas leak, with a loud hissing noise coming from the damaged line.
Fire crews remained on the scene for several hours while utility crews worked to isolate and secure the leak, Vucha said.
The City of Woodstock issued an advisory saying that Route 47 was closed between Route 120, also known as McHenry Avenue, and Irving Avenue after the gas line was struck near Center Street.
“The closure is expected to last for approximately 4 hours while repairs are completed. Please avoid the area and use an alternate route until further notice. We will share an update as soon as Route 47 has reopened. Thank you for your patience,” the advisory said.
The city issued a public statement on Tuesday responding to questions and concerns from residents and businesses regarding the recent water main and gas main breaks within the construction zone.
“The City understands the concerns these incidents create, particularly when they result in temporary service interruptions or other inconveniences. The City would like to clarify the nature of the Route 47 project, its role in construction, and why breaks involving aging underground infrastructure can occur during major roadway construction,” the statement said.
The Route 47 project is an Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) project and city officials said they did not select or hire the project’s construction contractor, Berger Excavating Contractors, Inc. “… however, Woodstock works closely with the project team and responds when incidents affect City infrastructure or services.”
While the city attributed the issues to the contractor, they said Berger is a “highly qualified contractor and is working cooperatively” with city staff to address infrastructure issues as they arise and minimize impacts to the community.
Woodstock Public Works Director Brent Aymond said that many of the water mains beneath Route 47 are more than 50 years old and are in dire need of replacement.
Replacing the aging infrastructure is one of the reasons the Route 47 project is necessary, city officials said.
“Construction activity around these older water mains presents unique challenges,” Aymond said.
“Even when proper precautions are taken, these pipes are extremely fragile. Excavation and soil compaction can place significant stress on aging mains, and the surrounding material that has supported them for decades can shift or crumble during construction,” Aymond said.
The depth and complexity of the underground infrastructure also make locating existing utilities challenging.
Some water mains cannot be detected by standard locating equipment because of corrosion or other conditions.
Other utilities, including electric, telephone and gas lines, may be layered above or around water mains, making identification more difficult.
Underground infrastructure is not reflected accurately on historical maps, which leads crews to encounter lines whose exact location was previously unknown.
The city said they use the same type of locating technology used by utility locating services such as JULIE and USIC but aging and deteriorated infrastructure can still present challenges even when proper utility locating procedures are followed.
“Every care and precaution is being taken to protect the work zone and the health and safety of our residents, businesses, workers and visitors,” Aymond said.
“Unfortunately, working around infrastructure that is more than 50 years old carries challenges that cannot always be eliminated,” he said.
City officials say they recognize the significant impact that Route 47 construction can have on local businesses and have created the Route 47 Business Relief Fund.
Woodstock Mayor Mike Turner is also encouraging residents to continue supporting businesses along and near the Route 47 corridor throughout construction.
“Our local businesses are making significant investments of their time and resources to remain open and serve our community during this project,” Turner said.
“We want to make sure they are still here and thriving when construction is complete. Please continue to shop, dine and do business locally whenever possible,”
The city said they encourage residents to “remain patient” as this significant infrastructure project moves forward. “The work taking place today is intended to address aging infrastructure and improve the Route 47 corridor for decades to come.”