Route 206 Water Main To Be Replaced In Somerville To Help Prevent Future Breaks

SOMERVILLE, NJ — After two major water main breaks, New Jersey American Water is proactively replacing four sections of its 36-inch water main on Route 206 in Somerville beginning Tuesday.

"This is a proactive replacement project to help avert potential breaks due to the main being at the end of its useful life," said NJ American Water.

This transmission main, which serves customers in Bridgewater, Raritan Borough and Somerville, had two major breaks in June 2023 and more recently on Oct. 30, 2024. The break in June 2023 resulted in customers having no water for multiple days and a boil water advisory.

The break this past October caused water loss for customers for the day and a boil water advisory.

During the repair process, an inspection confirmed several portions of the main needed to be replaced before the comprehensive rehabilitation planned for early 2025.

"After the main break in 2023, we identified this 36-inch transmission main as being vulnerable to similar failures, so we took proactive measures to help mitigate the impact of another break by reinforcing the local distribution system. We also designed a long-term solution to begin construction in early 2025," said Carmen Tierno, Senior Director of Central Operations, New Jersey American Water. "While our mitigation efforts helped reduce the impact of the recent break, further inspection of the main during the repair revealed a need to install new sections of the main now to help avert another issue over the holidays."

Construction and Route 206 Impacts

NJ American Water’s contractor J. Fletcher Creamer & Son will begin construction on Dec. 10, and work on this project continuously (24 hours a day) through its conclusion by Dec. 18.

At this time, Route 206 is expected to remain open, but for the public’s and workers’ safety, traffic restrictions and/or alternating traffic patterns are likely to occur during work hours. All emergency vehicles and local traffic will be allowed access during construction.

Low Water Pressure, Discoloration Possible

Customers in Bridgewater, Raritan Borough and Somerville will continue to have water service during the construction but some areas may notice periods of low pressure or discoloration. If discoloration occurs, customers should run the cold water taps only for three to five minutes at the lowest level of the house. The company encourages customers to collect that water for watering plants or other household uses due to the current drought warning in N.J.

New Jersey American Water will notify customers about this project through its emergency notification system, and information can also be viewed on New Jersey American Water’s website by visiting newjerseyamwater.com/alerts, and clicking "View Active Advisory List."

Long-Term Repair Plans

The company’s long-term solution to rehabilitate the transmission main includes installing a 30-inch reinforcement main, which is scheduled to begin construction in Q1 2025. Once that is completed, the full rehabilitation of the 36-inch transmission main will be addressed. Customers will be notified of these projects before they begin.

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