Key Bridge Construction to Wrap Up Dec. 15

Drivers all-too-familiar with the steel plates and uncomfortable dip in M Street near the Key Bridge have something to look forward to: these nuisances should disappear when DCWater completes its Large Valve Replacement Project in mid-December.

The project began in Georgetown in September 2011 and was supposed to be completed in September 2012.

"The construction schedule has been extended to allow needed further coordination," according to Emanuel Briggs, a community outreach manager for DC Water.

Briggs said extra coordination with the District Department of Transportation, the Advisory Neighborhood Commission and other impacted groups was necessary to work on "the most active insection in the city."

Another reason for the extended construction at the intersection is DC Water has actually been working on two different projects at once: both the large valve and the internal joint seal replacement project.

The large valve project "will improve water quality and system reliability, increase water pressure in some areas, and maintain adequate flows throughout the system," according to a DC Water document.

The internal joint seal project addresses issues with a pipe that stretches approximately 2,400 feet along M Street, NW. According to a DC Water document, the pipe is part of a "larger transmission main that delivers drinking water to various locations in and around the District."

Briggs told Patch his agency decided to do overlap the work to avoid having to dig the street up again in the future. 

He said work should be completed by Dec. 15, at which time drivers can expect to say goodbye to the steel plates and hello to a smoother ride.