Rapid Inspection of Citizens Downtown Sewer System Underway
INDIANAPOLIS – The intersection of Illinois and Maryland Streets in downtown Indianapolis is expected to reopen with lane restrictions on Monday. Motorists are advised to avoid the intersection until the road is fully open. The intersection has been closed since Thursday due to the collapse of a more than 100-year-old brick manhole structure under the street.
Working around the clock, a Citizens Energy Group crew has carefully excavated the site to protect multiple other utility lines in the area and is now repairing the manhole structure. A Citizens crew discovered the manhole collapse Thursday afternoon during routine sewer cleaning and inspection.
In light of the recent incidents, Citizens crews are currently conducting rapid inspections of all downtown sewer infrastructure to identify potential issues. Each year, Citizens inspects about 300 miles of its sewer system to identify potential problems and plan system improvement projects.
Citizens has been rehabilitating about 16 miles of sewer each year with an annual investment of nearly $20 million. Since acquiring the sewer system in 2011, Citizens has invested more than $1.2 billion in the utility to upgrade aging infrastructure, expand treatment capacity and for the ongoing construction of the DigIndy Tunnel System that will nearly eliminate sewer overflows to area waterways by 2025.
Further updates will be provided as repairs progress.
About Citizens Energy Group
Citizens Energy Group provides safe and reliable utility services to about 900,000 people in the Indianapolis area. Citizens operates its utilities for the benefit of customers and the community.
Media Contact Information
Daniel Considine
Phone: 317-519-1515
Email: media@citizensenergygroup.com