New Jersey American Water will replace over four miles of aging water main in Neptune Township, Long Branch and Lakewood, starting this month. The company will upgrade the aging cement and cast-iron water lines that were installed as far back as the 1920s with new 8–,12– and 16–inch ductile iron main along the following streets:

Neptune

Long Branch

Lakewood

The project also includes replacing 14 fire hydrants and305 utility-owned service lines along the pipeline route. Additionally, New Jersey American Water will replace any customer-owned service line that has been identified as lead or galvanized as part of a statewide initiative to remove all lead and galvanized service lines by 2031.

This $7.9 million investment will continue to advance water service reliability and increase water flows for household consumption and fire protection in these communities.This improvement is part of New Jersey American Water’s multimillion-dollar initiative to accelerate the renewal of water infrastructure that has reached the end of its useful life in more than 100 communities across the state.  

New Jersey American Water’s local contractors, Perna Finnigan, Inc. Montana Construction, Inc. and J.F. Kiely Construction, Inc. began work this month and expect to be completed within approximately two months in Lakewood and three months in the remaining towns,weather permitting. Work hours will be at night on Prospect Street in Lakewood from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. and during the day on all other streets in Lakewood, Long Branch, and Neptune from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Work outside of these hours is not expected unless required to maintain project schedule. Final street restorations will be completed in fall of 2022 for all streets except Prospect Street in Lakewood, which will be restored by the county in 2023.

Project timelines are subject to change due to a variety of factors including weather and availability of supplies.