Evanston intake pipe replacement project starts at northeast end of campus

Lake+Michigan+with+waves+crashing+onto+a+beach.

Daily file photo by Katie Chen

Lake Michigan. The disturbance from intake pipe construction will be minimal on University grounds.

Joanna Hou, Campus Editor

A City of Evanston project to replace an aging intake pipe at a Lake Michigan water plant located on the northeast end of campus began Monday, Northwestern Facilities announced in an email. 

The project is expected to last about two years and will cause “minimal disruption” to the University’s campus. Some onshore work, however, will occur at 555 Lincoln St. The area will stay fenced through the construction process. 

There will be sidewalk closures in the area on campus and additional traffic delays on April 6 and April 7, when a crane is delivered to the site. Earth retention systems, which will be installed in July and August, may also cause some noise disruptions to students. 

The project is set to cost $47.2 million and will expand the intake’s diameter to 60 inches. The pipe serves 10 suburban communities and more than 490,000 people.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @joannah_11

Related Stories: 

Water intake replacement project set to begin mid-March

‘We Are Water’ Project assesses Evanstonians’ relationship with water

State grant funds lead pipe replacement in 8th Ward