Halme Construction Inc., of Davenport, Wash., has begun work on a $3.5 million project for the city of Spokane to replace nearly three miles of water main on the lower South Hill and reconstruct streets.

City spokeswoman Ann Deasy says water transmission mains will be replaced along a route that generally runs from the intersection of 10th Avenue and Hatch Street east to the intersection of Hartson Avenue and Havana Street. The construction route mostly runs along Ninth and 11th avenues, but also includes short sections of Arthur and Myrtle streets and North Altamont Boulevard.

Kyle Halme, of Halme Construction, says work began on the project in late July and will continue until about the end of October. He says the project will be done in three sections, starting at its western end and proceeding east. No traffic or parking will be allowed on the residential streets while pavement is being ground and removed. Local traffic only will be allowed while the old 36-inch water mains are excavated and replaced with 42-inch pipes under the streets. The intersection of Ninth and Perry will be closed for 24 hours on about Aug. 12 while work is completed there, and traffic will be detoured, Halme says. The intersections of 11th and Thor Street and 11th and Freya Street each will be closed for 24 hours at a later date.

The project also will replace storm sewers, drainage structures, and curbs, and curb ramps will be built during the repaving process. Along some stretches of the route, streets will receive a full-depth reconstruction curb-to-curb: on Ninth, from Perry to North Altamont; 11th, from North Altamont to Julia; Myrtle, from Eighth to Hartson; and Hartson, from Myrtle to Havana, Deasy says.

The city of Spokane water department and the 10-year street bond are providing funding for the project, she says. Seven contractors bid on the project, a city document shows. The engineers' estimate for the project was $4.8 million.