JXN Water closes portion of Fortification Street temporarily
The street is a main passageway for drivers going toward Belhaven
The street is a main passageway for drivers going toward Belhaven
The street is a main passageway for drivers going toward Belhaven
If you frequently take the Fortification exit off of Interstate 55, a traffic headache could be headed your way.
JXN Water, the agency responsible for the city of Jackson's water and sewer systems, closed Fortification Street eastbound, between Quinn Street and Monroe Street.
Crews did an underground survey over the weekend that led to the decision to shut down the street. Third-party manager Ted Henifin said the street is caving in from an old abandoned sewer line underground.
"That was allowing dirt to get into the sewer system," Henifin said. "The dirt erodes under the street, goes into the sewer, disappears. No longer can the street be supported (so) it starts sinking."
Henifin said once crews dig up the street, they should be able to cap off the opening in the line.
The closure is at the start of Fortification, where drivers exiting the interstate pass through.
According to JXN Water, drivers will be detoured.
The agency says westbound travelers will detour north on Quinn Street and can travel west on Poplar Boulevard and then south on North Jefferson Street.
Eastbound travelers will be detoured south on Monroe Street and can travel east on Moody Street, then north on Quinn Street back to Fortification Street.
The emergency road closure is expected to last up to five days.
Drivers who want to avoid traffic can also consider exiting I-55 on Woodrow Wilson Avenue.
Henifin also announced Tuesday that the small pipe replacement project is kicking off. Small, 2-inch steel lines will be replaced with much larger 6 to 8-inch transmission lines, which will eliminate discoloration, or brown water. The project will also increase water flow to fire hydrants and boost water pressure.