DIXON – The city will be replacing part of the South Galena Avenue water main later this summer, a goal since there was a major break in the line 5 years ago.

In July 2016, a break in the century-old water main halted traffic on the city’s busiest roadway, and the city had to make emergency repairs.

Come August, work will start on replacing the main between Second and Fourth streets. It was originally going to be replaced from River Street, but the water department won’t be using that portion of line anymore, and it saves around $400,000.

The project will consist of replacing the main and doing some directional boring at the intersection of First Street and South Galena Avenue, as well as at Second Street.

The City Council approved a contract of around $1 million for Martin & Company Excavating to do the work.

The project will be funded by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s revolving loan program, and the city should expect to receive around $450,000 in loan forgiveness, Water Department Manager Matt Huyett said.

“This has been a long time coming,” Huyett said. “I won’t have to lay awake worrying that it’s going to pop again.”

Work should begin in early August and be completed within a month. They will be doing partial lane closures so traffic will still be moving in both directions.