Denver Water begins overnight Main Street pipe replacement in downtown Littleton

Denver Water crews began replacing about 3,300 feet of aging water pipe on downtown Littleton streets this month, city and Denver Water representatives told the Littleton City Council on Feb. 4. The work is being staged in short nightly closures and phased to keep sidewalks and business access open where possible.

The update matters because the main runs under a downtown area that is expected to see additional construction; delaying the utility work would require tearing up new streetscape improvements later, officials said. The project team said the schedule and nightly work are intended to reduce daytime traffic disruption and minimize impacts to local businesses.

Jamie Price, owners’ representative with Matrix Design Group, told the council the project “kicked off this week” and that crews began work the first Sunday night. Austin Steckler, a water distribution manager at Denver Water, said, “We have around 3,300 feet of pipe that needs to be replaced.” Steckler described the intended route (Main Street, turning onto Wrap, then Alamo, Nevada to Prince and a short cul-de-sac) and explained the phase-to-phase process for tying services to the new main and abandoning the old pipe in place.

According to the project team, crews will saw-cut trench lines, pothole to locate existing utilities, install new pipe and then allow a subcontractor to patch asphalt each morning so streets reopen by 7 a.m. Steckler said crews typically install two-block sections, verify water quality, then reconnect individual service lines for businesses and residences. He said crews lay pipe at about 4.5 feet depth: “We lay at 4 and a half feet.”

Project staff described outreach steps including a kickoff meeting with businesses in the first phase, mailers, door hangers and sandwich boards on Main Street. Maureen (Denver Water communications) and Darren (Denver Water superintendent) were identified as primary communication and field contacts; Price said business and resident coordination is critical and that Denver Water will give businesses 72 hours’ advance notice for planned outages. Officials said the single-night shutdown windows are used for the connection work and that the contractor will try to limit outages to planned time blocks but will re-notify affected properties if a shutdown lasts longer than planned.

Jamie Price said cold-weather patching will be temporary in some places, with permanent concrete and concrete curb work scheduled later when temperatures are favorable. “Our subcontractor Cassie will be following us every night,” Price said, describing nightly temporary restorations and later permanent repairs to asphalt and concrete as conditions allow.

Council members asked operational questions about business events that run into the evening, impacts to neighboring apartments and how the contractor handles unexpected underground finds. Steckler and Darren said crews stop and notify Colorado 811 and affected utilities when encountering unknown infrastructure; Colorado 811 coordinates responses and confirms whether a finding is live or abandoned. Steckler also noted Denver Water will skip a small block of Alamo that was replaced roughly a decade ago as part of other work.

The project team asked residents and businesses to use the Denver Water project webpage for updates and noted the City of Littleton’s website links to DenverWater.org for the latest information. Council members thanked crews for night work and noted the project will be used as a coordination pilot for larger downtown reinvestment work.

Planning and operations details the council received included the project phasing sequence, nightly schedules, the approximate 4.5-foot burial depth, the 72-hour notice policy for planned outages to businesses, and that temporary asphalt patches will be made before daytime traffic resumes and may need later permanent repairs.

The project update was informational; no council action was requested or taken at the meeting.