One of Sugar House’s main roads will be under construction starting this spring. A new sewer line will be installed along 1300 East between 1300 South and 2100 South, and is scheduled be completed by winter. 

“We are putting the project to bid in February,” Jenni Oman, an engineer with Salt Lake City Public Utilities said. “We anticipate construction of the water main’s sewer rehabilitation to being in May or June.” 

The construction is needed since the two waterlines that are currently used were installed between 1914 and 1955 and need to be replaced. These pipes don’t meet the department’s minimum size requirement and break frequently. 

“While these vital lines are certainly operational now, Salt Lake City Public Utilities always works whenever possible to make fixes and changes before a new roadway goes in,” Oman said.

So, what does this mean for commuters using and those living near 1300 East? There are plans to have the water turned off but SLCPU is working to make sure they minimize the disruption by installing new lines before moving the water services to them. Oman said that the services take 20 minutes to four hours to shift over and during those times the water will be off. 

The water line replacement will also affect students attending Westminster College, most notably noise and dust. SLCPU does have a policy that stands in place that will mitigate the impact of the issues but wants students to be aware of potential distractions. 

“Residents and businesses along 1300 East will always have access to their driveways at the end of the work day with minimal restrictions during the working day,” said Oman, “like when pipe is being laid in front of a driveway.” 

SLCPU is asking residents to be patient with the construction and follow the detours that will be set up near 1300 East. Oman said that they will do their best to maintain at least one lane of traffic during the day since the sewer lines will be put in the middle of the road. 

“We will ask the contractor to stage construction, so traffic can be maintained,” Oman said. “Still, at times it will be necessary for flaggers to allow only one direction at a time to proceed, and we may have full road closures in small areas.” 

SLCPU will be notifying Westminster College for the delays in traffic as well as University of Utah students, since the road is traveled by students in both schools. Students should look for alerts from their schools on social media as construction begins. Oman also mentioned that a hotline will be open to those who have questions about the construction, and people are encouraged to use it. 

“It is easier for us to address any issues that emerge sooner than later,” Oman said. “Residents are out on the site more than SLCPU staff can be, so if you see something amiss, please let us know.” 

SLCPU is asking the neighborhood and residents along 1300 East to be patient, and thanked them in advance for their support as the construction begins. 

“We feel confident that the water and sewer service will be greatly improved as a result of the project,” Oman said. “SLCPU is pleased to serve our customers and to be an integral part of this great city.”