The MDC reported Friday that the process of installing a new sewer pipe lining on Linbrook Road, to replace the one that failed and caused a back-up three weeks ago, has successfully been completed.

By-pass pumps and pipes have been disconnected on Linbrook Road as of Friday afternoon. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

By Ronni Newton

A collective sigh of relief could likely be heard along Linbrook Road in West Hartford on Friday morning as Precision Trenchless completed installation of a replacement sewer liner, and successfully tested the system.

After more than three weeks, by-pass pipes that had been put into place by the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) to permit the flow of sewage for homes on Linbrook Road could finally be removed.

The lining of a 27-inch sewer pipe had failed on Oct. 3, leading to a blockage and back-up of sewage into the roadway and the basements of 26 homes, mostly on Linbrook Road. As much as 30 inches of sewage water flooded a large portion of the roadway and lawns, and in some homes as much as 5 or 6 feet of sewage water backed up into their basements.

Ramps and by-pass pumps and pipes have been removed and Linbrook Road will soon be repaved as life returns to normal for residents. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Installation of the new liner, made of an alternative material to the one that had failed, began at 3 a.m. Thursday, and was completed at 2:30 a.m. Friday, MDC spokesperson Kerry Martin reported in an early morning email on Friday.

Martin said that the by-pass pumping operation was to remain in place until 5 a.m. Friday to ensure that all was working properly, before the temporary system was terminated and flow returned to the newly-lined sewer.

“Breakdown and removal of all by-pass pumping equipment, area clean-up, and lawn restoration efforts will follow,” Martin said in her email.

The pumps and by-pass pipes were removed by Friday afternoon, and were lined up along the western end of Linbrook Road awaiting pick-up. Driveway ramps, which the MDC had put into place to allow residents access over the by-pass pipes into the roadway, had also been removed as of Friday afternoon.

The sewage back-up came shortly before the MDC, working in conjunction with the Town of West Hartford’s contractor Galasso Materials, was to have completed paving Linbrook and other neighborhood roadways.

Montclair Drive has now been repaved, and the remaining road restoration work on Linbrook will also be completed shortly.

“The town should be providing additional notification to the residents regarding the paving schedule. Street parking may be limited due to paving operations and truck traffic,” Martin said in her email.

A total of 26 homes were affected by the sewer backup. The MDC performed sewer backup prevention assessments at those homes and installed check valves or backwater valves in area homes with fixtures below grade level.

The MDC also installed sump pumps and other prevention devices, and hired contractors to repair and/or replace mechanical systems, including hot water heaters, boilers, and gas furnaces that were damaged due to the sewage backup.

The MDC has established a page on its website which continues to be updated with information about the Linbrook Road area. 

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