Ephrata water work nears major intersection

EPHRATA — Traffic is liable to be interesting in Ephrata this weekend with the Sage & Sun Festival closing some downtown streets as construction crews replacing the Basin Street water main are working their way north.

“They’ve reached the curb area,” City Administrator Wes Crago told members of the city council at a Wednesday evening meeting. “As progress moves its way north, they will reach the intersection of state routes 282 and 28.

“And that will be a bear,” Crago said. “There’s a lot of traffic on that road.”

Crago said work crews replacing the main line are planning on making a “48-hour push” to replace the main water line near the intersection to minimize the inconvenience.

“We’re hoping it will only be a two-day issue,” Crago said.

Otherwise, the city administrator said that water line replacement work was going well and was on schedule. Public Works Director Bill Sangster said there were two geysers leading to a loss of water pressure or even temporary shutdowns in parts of the city because of the work.

Crago also told council members that work replacing the sidewalk on First Avenue will not start until next week, after the Sage & Sun festival, and should be a quick project.

“Hopefully everything will keep going smoothly,” he said.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com.