The city of Warrenton has several public works projects that are currently underway, and while one is nearing completion, another is just getting off the ground. 

Work on a water line by the Shoppes at Warrenton is nearing completion, as crews were finally able to get to work boring under the railroad last week. 

“We’ve been delayed probably six plus months because of the railroad, … So that’s a big step in that project and that way we can get that project wrapped up,” said Warrenton Director of Operations Jon Struckhoff. 

The project was started to replace two aging water mains that ran the length of Booneslick Road to the Shoppes at Warrenton. The two pipes, a two inch water main and a four inch water main are being replaced by a 10 inch main that will also replace a dead end in the city’s water system. 

According to Struckhoff, the two inch main was “severely undersized’” and the four inch main was aging and needed to be replaced. Since they are now running the mains all the way out to the roundabout at Booneslick Road and Veterans Memorial Parkway they will also add a loop to the water system, providing additional redundancies. 

“That did two things,” said Struckhoff. “It replaced the aging line, and it gave us redundancy, it looped our water main in our system.”

Before the project, the Shoppes at Warrenton were on a dead end line, and if there were to be a water main break, that area would be completely without water, according to Struckhoff. With the added redundancy, in the event of a water main break in that area, the city would be able to isolate the break, and continue providing water to that part of town. 

Although the project was delayed as the city needed permission from the railroad to dig on their property, Struckhoff said that since they received approval, the project was nearing completion. 

“They don’t like people touching the railroad, so we just have to follow suit and just keep plugging away and get the project done,” said Struckhoff. 

Now that work with the railroad is moving forward, Struckhoff said he expects the project to be completed within the next couple weeks. 

There is another upcoming public works project in Warrenton that will also be impacted by the railroad. The city plans to replace one of the sewer lines in Warrenton in the near future. 

“We’re installing a new sewer line, a big sewer main from the service road near the school building all the way up Morgan Street,” said Struckhoff. 

That project is underway, but is moving slowly, according to Struckhoff. He was unsure of when that project would be completed as they will once again need approval from the railroad to bore underneath their property. 

He also said that as that project moves forward, residents should anticipate some traffic and delays related to that work. 

The sewer project is replacing another aging pipe, an 18 inch clay tile pipe, that is no longer sufficient for the city’s needs. Struckhoff said that pipe also narrows to eight inches at Main Street and will be more prone to clogs and breaks as the city continues to grow. 

They will be replacing it with a 24 inch sewer line more suited to the city’s needs. 

“We’ve had some issues on that eight inch line, just being undersized with all the growth down south of town, so this 24 inch pipe should take us well into the future,” said Struckhoff.