ELKHART, Ind. (WSBT) — A traffic alert for drivers in Elkhart.
The Oakland Avenue Underpass will close for several weeks, starting on Tuesday.
This is the next phase of the ongoing construction along Oakland Avenue.
According to city officials, crews need to excavate the entire underpass as part of Elkhart’s federally mandated sewer separation project.
The work is designed to separate stormwater from sanitary sewer lines, helping reduce sewage overflows into local waterways during heavy rain.
“So that means that the sewage, the toilet that gets flushed all the way by the Cobblestone Martins, has to eventually snake its way through the entire city all the way over to that area. Hence why there’s been so much work on this side of the town because that’s where a lot of it all starts to come together in one area,” said Alex Otto, City of Elkhart director of communications.
Drivers are encouraged to use the Nappanee Street and Benham Avenue underpasses, or the Prairie Street overpass, while the work is underway.