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Monday afternoon, a water main broke causing high water in the area at the 5 way stop in Magee. The roads quickly filed with water giving the appearance of a pond on Main Street.
The City of Magee with the help of the Magee Fire Department have mapped all water lines in Magee. The information on the maps proved timely in shutting the valves. Once the water lines were turned off, the water quickly receded leaving evidence of broken asphalt.
Before digging, 811 was called. The utility locators from each utility company quickly had employees on hand to trace the lines. The AT&T main lines to the city were located near the digging area. The city water crew and several firemen worked diligently to remove asphalt and dirt. City Works Department Head, Nelvis Rankin handled the big machinery in removing large chunks of asphalt. Due to the sensitivity of the area with the AT&T lines, much digging was done by hand.
MDOT arrived on the scene assisting the firemen in blocking off the area to traffic. Traffic on Main Street remains open. Side roads are needed to access parts of 1-49.
Albert White, MDOC engineer of Magee, was called to assess the situation.
After hours of digging, the Mayor announced that an independent contractor would be brought in because “we do not have equipment that can remove or bore through the damaged area.” I was told and saw the 60 year old road bed that was the key to reaching and repairing the break.
I have several videos that give you unclose footage of the break and work area.
As of Tuesday morning, March 31, 2020, no one was working the area. According to Mayor Dale Berry, “we met with Hemphill Construction this morning (Tuesday). Their crew should be here about lunch. Looks like a 2-3 day project.”
1st Street and 1-49 will be blocked for several days. No business lost water and most businesses are accessible through their back or side doors in the affected area.
Hats off to the Mayor, city crew, and fire department! They did a great job in a tough situation .
