Mayor Mason Provides Update On Main Street Sewer Repair Project

ZANESVILLE, Ohio-The sewer repair project on Main Street in downtown Zanesville is progressing but has hit some snags. 

The sewer has been in need of repairs since 2015. Mayor Don Mason says the setbacks have been due to concerns over worker safety. 

“It became imperative to pull the contractor, literally out of the hole because they were continuing to have fatigue and cave-ins. The health and safety of that contractor are critical. Therefore we went back to the table with the engineering firm and we’re looking at new alternatives. Part of the problem is we don’t want to fix a little piece only to have another block suffer the same fatigue issues.”

Main Street has been shut down for weeks in preparation for the repair. Safety concerns are the reason no motorists can traverse it. 

“The reason it’s closed down is it’s entirely possible that a large piece of equipment, a semi of some sort, could be going over it and it could have absolutely collapsed. That’s the worst case scenario, because again you might have human safety issues involved. None of us want that.”

Mason expects the project to commence by the end of October or early November. They are currently looking for the easiest and safest way to repair the sewer line.