A June 16 notice informed Grosse Pointe residents on Cranford Lane that there would be a delay in ongoing water main replacement and pavement reconstruction due to a hail storm on June 13. Construction was put off for two days while the workplace was drying from the storm. This delay also revealed a sanitary concern.
Video by: Jenna Hummel
“This project was written off to be done by mid-July,” said project manager Ryan Kern of V.I.L. Construction Inc. “But there may now be a delay to the finish line due to sanitary service lead repairs that were just recently found under the road.”
The storm runoff water had caused a disruption to the existing infrastructure that is planned to be removed next week. The opportunity to remove it right then and there was available, but was not plausible, Kern said. The lead sanitary pipes that handle the wastewater from properties along Cranford Lane were of a potential contamination risk. Lead is a toxic metal that can pose serious health risks and with the stormwater having entered the sanitary pipes, there is a possibility of the lead leaching into the water supply.
“Luckily, we caught it early enough and that’s why it never became an issue to residents,” said construction worker Luc Russell. “At least one person from the crew came to check on the street while it was still flooded.”
If it were to become an issue, there are measures that the residents of Cranford Lane would have had to take to mitigate any potential health hazards.
“I don’t think the sanitary concern would have been addressed if it weren’t for the hail,” said City Assessor Eric Dunlap.
With the road being closed off and going onto the crossroad of Notre Dame as well, parking has already been an issue for residents.
Cranford Lane resident and a recent mother to twins, Heidi Johannes,, said she is grateful that the road is finally being repaired and that it’s been needed for a while now, but the parking situation is really getting to her. She said there are times when she comes home from a long day working at Beaumont Hospital and she has to walk two blocks to get back home lugging her purse and breastfeeding pump supplies.
V.I.L. Construction proposed its new completion of the project and finalizing the paved asphalt date as July 16.