I responded to Ms. Zaiger's concerns by e-mail explaining the rationale for action by CBU to close a portion of South Walnut Street on July 11. I left my contact information should Ms. Zaiger desire to make further comments regarding this matter.

I sent the following response to Ms. Zaiger in an e-mail. Katherine: In response to your uReport comments, I would like to begin by stating unequivocally, the City of Bloomington Utilities is committed to providing sufficient public notice ahead of any project we’re engaged in. However, in situations like the one occurring on Wednesday, July 11, which involved the emergency repair of a water line leak, this isn’t always plausible. In every case, whether the work is to occur at some point in the future or in the circumstance of the emergency repair conducted on July 11, our top priority is always to make sure emergency first responders are aware of what is taking place so they can plan accordingly. The last thing we want to do is to impede their response time. There is a system in place that allows us to accomplish this. As for everyone else, we utilize the best options available to us to get the word out as soon as we can. Several factors are taken into account in making the decision to close a street. Concerning the event on July 11, it impacted a portion of a major thoroughfare running through the middle of Bloomington. In weighing all of the issues, the decision was made to close South Walnut Street, between Hillside Drive and 1st Street, to all traffic until which time the leak in a water line was fixed and the street restored for traffic flow to resume safely. The following is the rationale for this particular street closure. Worker safety. With the ongoing construction in this area, there are only two lanes available for traffic at the present time. This created a condition where CBU crews were limited in the amount of space available to perform this repair. The focus of our crews was to repair the leak and get the street reopened as soon as possible. It wasn’t on having to keep a watchful eye for any motorist exceeding the construction zone speed limit (which happens quite often) or risk having to dodge a vehicle getting too close to what was already a confined working space. Whatever the situation, we want to create a work environment that ensures our employees make it home to their loved ones safely. Public Safety. Anytime there is a leak of this type, there is the possibility of the pavement being compromised. Potentially, the pavement could have collapsed under the weight of a passing vehicle. Under this scenario, there’s the possibility of injury to the occupant or occupants of said vehicle(s), not to mention vehicular damage. Also had this scenario actually happened, this stretch of Walnut Street would have been closed for a significantly longer period of time than the approximately six hours the closure was in place. Detour Route. The decision was made to redirect northbound traffic east to Hillside Drive then north onto Henderson Street. Southbound traffic was redirected east onto 1st Street then south onto Henderson Street. Unfortunately when the detour took effect, it coincided with the time many people, who typically use Walnut Street to reach their destination were beginning to do so. However, after the initial rush, traffic flow along the designated detour route returned to the normal level. If you would like to express additional concerns regarding this matter, my direct phone line is 812.349.3940. Respectfully, Jon Callahan

This was the result of an emergency repair to a water main break. Access for residents should have been maintained. Jon, can you be sure to follow-up with this resident.