Kentucky American Water starts $2 mil water main projects in Lexington

Projects in National Avenue, North Ashland and Aurora Avenue areas

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Kentucky American Water (KAW) will launch two water main replacement projects this month in the National Avenue, North Ashland and Aurora Avenue areas just outside downtown Lexington.

According to KAW, it’s part of the ongoing efforts to invest in water system infrastructure.

Approximately 4,000 linear feet of water mains on North Ashland Avenue, Aurora Avenue and Memory Lane that were installed in 1912 will be replaced as part of a $1 million project. The company will also replace approximately 3,500 linear feet of water main installed in 1935 on National Avenue, Given Avenue and a portion of Richmond Avenue as part of a $949,000 project, according to KAW.

Traffic will be impacted from the projects. Drivers are encouraged to slow down and use extra caution when traveling through work zones.

According to KAW, the projects are scheduled to conclude by July 2022, depending on weather conditions and other construction factors. They are among $20 million worth of water main upgrades approved in June 2021 by the Kentucky Public Service Commission, to be completed by July 1, 2022, for Kentucky American Water’s Qualified Infrastructure Program (QIP). The QIP, which is now in its second year, enables the company to accelerate replacement of aging water system infrastructure before it potentially becomes more problematic and more costly to replace. QIP projects are paid for with the QIP fees collected through customers’ monthly water bills. The fee associated with this year’s program will add 40 cents to the average monthly residential bill.