The 600 block of Main Avenue will be closed to vehicle traffic Monday through Jan. 20 for the installation of a new fire suppression system and domestic waterline, according to the city of Durango.
The block will be closed to vehicle traffic during the day and reopen at night. Sidewalks will remain open to pedestrians throughout the construction period, and delivery trucks that need to access businesses on the block will be accommodated, the city said.
City spokesman Tom Sluis said the fire suppression system and domestic waterline are specifically being installed in the building at 640 Main Ave., tenants of which include Sun Saphires, AP Gems & Jewelry and Father’s Daughters Pizza.
The domestic waterline is a 6-inch line that connects from the city’s water main into the building, he said.
“I’m not sure about the exact age of that section of the waterline, but we found some pipe recently in the same area, in front of the Strater Hotel, that was stamped ‘1892,’” he said. “A lot of the city’s water infrastructure is a hodgepodge of repairs that have been made over the decades, versus removing and replacing the entire line.”
He said water service to adjacent buildings on the 600 block of Main Avenue should not be affected during construction.
Construction will consist of tapping into the city’s waterline and constructing a new line for the building, according to the city. Once the new line is in place, Durango Fire Protection District will test it.
The city began testing water valves on the 600 block of Main Avenue on Wednesday in preparation for the project.
cburney@durangoherald.com
