(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Ground was broken Monday in south suburban Dixmoor for a badly needed water main replacement project.
The village of Dixmoor has been plagued by a series of water main breaks in recent years, including one that left the entire village without running water for two weeks in 2021.
Now, construction is starting on a $2.2 million water main replacement project that should provide residents with a more reliable source of water by the end of the year.
Mayor Fitzgerald Roberts is so pleased, he says he’s almost at a loss for words. “Relieved” was one of the words he found.
“I get to rest at night now,” the mayor said.
Congresswoman Robin Kelly helped get the federal money that will pay for most of the project.
“Reliable water access is the lifeblood of the community. When a water system breaks, everything shuts down,” she said.
The village’s water mains are more than 100 years old.
Mable Chapman has lived for 69 years in the Dixmoor home she was born in and suffered through the 2021 water main break. She says she was forced to make runs to her son’s and sister’s homes to take care of her daily needs.
“It was really hard but we made it through the grace of God.”
Village engineer Melanie Arnold says the project is expected to be completed by next March but that residents can expect to have water running through those new mains and into their homes by the end of the year.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District Acting Commander Lt. Col. Matthew Broderick says $1.6 million for the project comes from the federal government’s Building A Better America infrastructure program.
Other public officials in attendance Monday were Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Commissioner Monica Gordon and Congressman Jonathan Jackson.
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