MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Morgantown Utility Board appears to be on pace to complete work on North High Street before the end of March.
Senior Engineer Ken Hacker offered an update on the sewer work that has taken place in parts of the North High Street area since February that crews hope to have fully completed by either Monday or Tuesday. This will include an alignment of sewer and water lines that will be the start of a complete sewer realignment that will take place on North High Street that MUB hopes to have kicked off sometime in May as part of a multi-party project with West Virginia University and the City of Morgantown.
“Our contractor has completed both portions down to just above the intersection of Prospect and North High (Street),” said Hacker. “Which (for the portion left to be completed) they are scheduled to be complete (between) Monday and Tuesday,” he said.
The work left to do by MUB along what is primarily West Virginia University fraternity and student housing will consist of lining up separate water and sewer lines along North High Street. This follows pipe re-linings between Fife and Prospect Streets that cause travel restrictions around that area throughout late February. According to Hacker, the final phase will connect the pipes re-lined as from the February work and will be a precursor for upcoming projects.
“Currently on North High Street, we are working on slip lining the sanitary and the storm sewer that runs from East Prospect (Street) up the hill to just above Fife (Street),” said Hacker.
Hacker added that additional work will take place around the North High Street area throughout summer 2025. Along with MUB planning to replace the water main on North High Street once the students leave in May, West Virginia University will re-line a gas utility with the City of Morgantown, covering a complete repavement of the heavily brick-covered road. The goal is to have the separate projects completed by the time students come back into town for classes in August.
“We are scheduled to also replace a section of water main, and then I believe the city is to remove the brick and repave the street entirely,” Hacker said.
For MUB, the pipeline upgrades will be one of several projects that will either be completed by the utility or be working towards completion in summer 2025. Aside from the pipe re-linements around North High Street, MUB also hopes to make more progress on the Chaplin Hill/Westridge infrastructure project as well as the approximately $50 million Cheat Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrades, both of which will address much-needed infrastructure for both residential and economic development. With several projects active for MUB heading into the spring, Morgantown area residents should expect crews around town working to serve the tens of thousands of residents the utility serves.
“With the lining, it is scheduled to be completed next Tuesday for our portion of the project,” said Hacker. “And there’s a lot more work planned for that street over the summer,” he said.