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“It’s amazing how they put in this big pipe and didn’t have the advanced machinery as we do now in construction,” marveled Louisville Water Inspector Dennis Pike.
Today, Pike has an up-close view of crews as they replace a 130-year-old water main. The project began in July 2024 just west of Old Louisville and is moving across neighborhoods toward the edge of the Highlands.
“If you get a hundred years out of a transmission main, Louisville Water and the community got their money’s worth,” Pike said. “I know customers don’t like seeing all this work in front of their house, but it’s necessary to ensure the whole city has water.”
Louisville Water’s commitment to delivering a vital resource as far back as the late 1800s is evident as we work to create the infrastructure to keep Louisville Pure Tap® flowing into the next century.
As they dug up the pavement near Oak and Brook streets, Pike spotted a piece of history.
“The pipe indicates it was made in 1891. It (DL Long) was a local foundry here in Louisville; I believe from records U.S. Pipe bought that foundry out,” he said.
And the treasures underground don’t stop there. The project is running right along the old trolley system, a block away from Toonerville Trolley Park, a former amusement park and streetcar destination.
Pieces of wood and rail ties are visible, and a long piece of the metal track lies along East Oak Street, giving a glimpse into the past.
“We’ll be following these trolley tracks all the way down Oak Street. It was major thoroughfare back in the ‘(19)30s and ‘40s,” Pike said.
And now, here we are preparing for the 2030s and ‘40s and far beyond that to keep delivering high-quality drinking water.
“These are our biggest pipes in our system. They are transmission mains that serve the county and counties to the south,” said Project Engineer Michael Meyer.
Meyer has worked on several large projects in his career at Louisville Water, including the Eastern Parkway water main replacement.
“I really enjoy working on these big projects and to be on-site,” Meyer shared. “It feels good to be a part of something so big. It’s a privilege to be part of that.”
With phase one of Oak Street wrapping up, he is looking ahead to the next steps.
“Phase 2 is all dig and replace. There’s going to be excavation along the whole route as opposed to sliplining like we did in the first phase; with that, we essentially slid a new pipe inside the existing water main,” Meyer explained.
Phase 2 is just beginning but will pause on May 1 in consideration of the “peak season” for water usage. The project will resume in the fall. You can find regular updates on LouisvilleWater.com/OakStreetProject.
