Ravensworth water main to be replaced
Fairfax Water plans to replace the water main under Ravensworth Road in Annandale, beginning in mid-August. The project will roughly extend from St. Michael’s Lane to Brook Hills Drive.
During construction, Fairfax Water will maintain traffic flow and ensure affected residents have access to their driveways. There might be temporary lane closures and parking restrictions.
New water mains are typically installed using an open-cut construction method by excavating a trench in a section of the pavement or ground. According to Fairfax Water, this may create noise and dust. The work is usually done during the day on weekdays.
A vacuum excavation crew might be needed onsite to physically locate the existing utilities that the new water main will cross.
Open trenches will be backfilled every day. The trenches will be covered with temporary asphalt to provide a drivable surface.
During construction, Fairfax Water will have an inspector onsite daily in a marked vehicle to oversee the work and address any questions and concerns.
After a new water main is installed, it must pass a series of tests before it can be placed in service. Testing the water can take up to a week before sample results are available.
There could be water service interruptions when the new water main is connected to the existing water system.
Fairfax Water says it will notify customers in advance of all service disruptions by knocking on doors or leaving notices on doorknobs. For service disruptions lasting longer than 30 minutes, door hangers will be placed on customers’ front doors at least 48 hours in advance.
After the water lines are connected, residents might notice some slight discoloration of the water or lots of air bubbles. If this happens, Fairfax Water advises residents to turn on an upstairs faucet, preferably in the bathtub, and run the water for five to 10 minutes.
After completion, Ravensworth Road will be restored in accordance with VDOT’s permit requirements. This work could take several weeks, depending on the weather.
Lots of infrastructure work going on in Mason, which is good to see. Water mains also getting replaced in the 7 corners area, and washington gas has been going around to fix gas lines and move meters
outside the homes in accordance with current code.
Just need some road work and BRT…
This would be a great opportunity to fix the manhole covers on Ravensworth, which in my opinion are the worst in the area. They currently are so deep into the pavement that you feel you are hitting deep potholes. I spend half my concentration while driving on Ravensworth just dodging the manholes. I never have understood why VDOT does not have a standard that must be met when repaving a road so that manhole covers are level with the road. I hope they take this as an opportunity to fix this problem.