SOUTH SHORE — Some South Shore residents will have their water supply cut off 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday as crews work to replace a water main west of South Shore Drive.
The affected areas are:
- Oglesby Avenue from 67th to 70th Streets
- 70th Street from Oglesby Avenue to South Shore Drive
- South Shore Drive from 67th to 70th Streets
There is no chance of the project being delayed given the current stay at home order, though officials considered the circumstances before moving forward, said Ibrahim Okoe, Ald. Leslie Hairston’s (5th) assistant.
“Since they’ve already started to disconnect the pipes, we want to try and get the project over as quick as possible,” Okoe said.
Because precautions to stop the spread of coronavirus call for frequent hand washing, Okoe recommended residents fill a bucket or two with water before the supply is cut off.
Posted notices and calls to local property owners were sent out “over a week ago,” Okoe said, though at least one notice at 70th Street and Oglesby Avenue is dated from Saturday.
Once the connection is restored, residents must flush their systems using the Water Department’s guidelines, Okoe said.
Philippe Tapon, a resident of the Shorewind Towers at 7000 S. South Shore Drive, said he received a notice “a few days ago” and noticed construction crews in the area “roughly a week ago.”
“We’re probably going to have to live off water bottles,” Tapon said. “We’ll manage; it’s not like a 24-hour shutoff, which would be a lot worse.”
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