Major Water Line Work Shuts Down Beaver Dam Drive Thursday Afternoon

A section of Beaver Dam Drive near North Park Drive will be blocked to through traffic Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. as part of a massive water infrastructure upgrade. The closure is connected to Salisbury's multi-year project to replace a century-old water main running from city wells to the treatment plant.

Through traffic will be blocked on a stretch of Beaver Dam Drive this Thursday afternoon as city crews continue work on a major water system upgrade.

The roadway will be shut down at North Park Drive between East Main Street and Hillside Drive from 12 p.m. until 4 p.m. on February 19th. People who live on North Park Drive, East Main Street, Hillside Drive and Beaver Dam Drive can still get to their homes with help from traffic control personnel, but everyone else will need to find different routes.

Both Ben’s Red Swings and the Salisbury Zoo will stay open during the work. While the zoo entrance near Ben’s Red Swings at the intersection with South Park Drive will have some blockages through Friday, visitors can still find parking spots. The main zoo entrance at South Park Drive with the traffic circle leading to Memorial Plaza should remain clear.

This temporary shutdown is connected to a large-scale infrastructure upgrade by Salisbury’s Department of Water Works to install a new raw water pipeline that moves water from the city’s well system to its treatment facility.

The massive undertaking spans roughly 3,300 feet and involves installing pipes of various sizes from 24 inches down to 8 inches in diameter. Some sections will require special drilling techniques, including boring underneath the river. The current raw water pipeline system has components dating back nearly 100 years to 1925 and needs replacement to maintain dependable water service. City officials previously had to replace a section near the treatment plant in 2006 when it failed. This current effort will swap out the rest of the main pipeline, connecting pipes and valves linked to operating wells.

Work crews are designing the construction to avoid disrupting the current raw water system, well connections or active wells. The replacement main will connect to existing infrastructure, but control valves will stay shut until the changeover is finished. New well connections will be built individually to coordinate well shutdowns when making the final hookups.

City park users should expect some disruption to walking trails that go through City Park and by the Salisbury Zoo during construction periods. The work started near the Dog Park and Tennis Courts area and will move along the East Branch waterway past Memorial Plaza.

Officials expect the entire infrastructure project to wrap up by autumn 2026. City leaders are asking for public patience while this critical infrastructure work moves forward.