By: Brian Wells | Roseville-Eastpointe Eastsider | Published August 8, 2025
EASTPOINTE — A troubled water main might be replaced in conjunction with a planned road construction project.
At its Aug. 5 meeting, the Eastpointe City Council voted to begin the process of replacing the existing water main under Lexington Avenue between Nine Mile and Stephens roads prior to the planned reconstruction of the road in 2026.
Eastpointe Assistant City Manager Kim Homan said the plan is to install the water main as the replacement of Lexington Avenue between Nine Mile and Semrau Road is done next year, with the next blocks of Lexington to be replaced after that.
The water main, which was constructed in 1954, has been experiencing breaks in the last several months.
“It’s not the oldest in the city, but in the last three months we’ve had five water main breaks,” Eastpointe Department of Public Works Director Darin Paolucci. said. “We don’t want to put a new road over an old water main.”
The project would be paid for through a Community Development Block Grant that the city is expecting to receive to assist with the reconstruction of Lexington Avenue between Nine Mile Road and Semrau Avenue in the 2026 construction season.
In the end, City Council voted unanimously to let Anderson, Eckstein and Westrick Inc. prepare plans and provide inspections for the replacement. The estimated cost of the water main replacement is $1.175 million.
The replacement of the water main would include relocating it from the street to underneath the sidewalk on the west side of the road.
“It’s less expensive to replace sidewalk,” Paolucci said.