Century-old sewer tunnel restored as Ohio city completes two-year rehab project
(UI) - Lakewood, Ohio has completed one of the largest sewer infrastructure projects in its history, finishing a two-year effort to rehabilitate the city’s 19,000-foot interceptor tunnel.
The $28 million project, led by contractor Nerone & Sons, involved relining the century-old interceptor, which runs from W. 117th Street along Lake Road and south toward the Lakewood Wastewater Treatment Plant, Cleveland.com reported. The pipe varies from 20 feet deep on the east end to 94 feet deep in the west.
City officials said the interceptor—built between 1918 and the early 1940s using clay tile—had begun collapsing and allowing significant rainfall to enter the sewer system. Relining the tunnel has already reduced inflow, lowering the amount of excess water reaching the treatment plant during storm events.
Mayor Meghan George described the interceptor as critical to the city’s stormwater and wastewater management. According to Cleveland.com, the system carries roughly 75% of Lakewood’s flow to the treatment plant rather than allowing untreated discharges into Lake Erie.
The project also included construction of new vertical access shafts along the alignment. Public Works Director Chris Gordon said the effort was “one of the most successful projects from start to finish,” despite complex coordination with existing utilities. A small manhole rehabilitation task near Riverside Drive and W. Clifton Boulevard remains.
With the interceptor rehabilitation complete, Lakewood now turns to its next major investment under its Integrated Wet Weather Improvement Plan: a $40 million, 6.1-million-gallon combined sewer overflow (CSO-052) storage tank planned for 2026 adjacent to the Lakewood Wastewater Treatment Plant.
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