GLWA Launches $81M Water Main Overhaul in Oakland County, Michigan
The Great Lakes Water Authority will invest roughly $81 million to overhaul a stretch of aging water infrastructure along 14 Mile Road in Oakland County, Michigan, WaterWorld reports. The move follows four major water main breaks in the corridor over the past seven years.
The two-phase project starts with replacing about 3 miles of 48-inch prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) with 54-inch steel pipe between Haggerty Road and Farmington Road. Construction begins in November 2026 and runs through early 2028. Phase two covers inspection of an additional 3-mile PCCP segment extending to GLWA’s Franklin Pump Station, with repairs to any damaged sections and installation of an acoustic fiber optic monitoring system designed to detect leaks and wire breaks in real time. GLWA CEO Suzanne Coffey said the repeated breaks made clear the utility needed a more comprehensive approach to service reliability. GLWA is coordinating with local communities and the Road Commission for Oakland County on traffic plans and will hold public meetings before construction starts.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Underground utility and pipeline contractors should watch for bid packages tied to the 3-mile, 48-inch-to-54-inch steel pipe replacement between Haggerty and Farmington roads, with construction slated to run from November 2026 through early 2028.
- Traffic control and civil contractors in Oakland County can expect work tied to road coordination with the Road Commission for Oakland County, since GLWA has flagged traffic impacts as likely during construction even as water service disruptions stay minimal.
- Firms with acoustic fiber optic monitoring or PCCP inspection capabilities have a track record to point to: GLWA already deployed the same technology on a nearby 14 Mile Road segment in Novi earlier this year, suggesting similar scope-of-work language for phase two’s inspection and repair work.
