ST CHARLES, Mo. — Crews left piles of bricks on the north end of Historic Main Street in St. Charles after a long day of work on Tuesday.
Public work crews are on a mission to restore the charm the area holds after a water main break on Sunday evening, causing a minor water outage.
Although the city worked to restore the water the following morning, Public Works Director Nick Galla told 5 On Your Side about 250 feet of the brick path was displaced.
"We're having to remove each brick by hand. Clean it up. Put new sand down underneath and reset them so that the road it back to smooth and leveled again," Galla said.
Galla added that this had been the first break of the year on Main Street and that it usually happens every couple of years.
He also mentioned that the area is where there the original water plant was, so age played a major role in the weekend’s downfall.
“We had a 100-year-old, actually over 100-year-old, cast iron pipe that over time deteriorated. Plus, the extreme heat that we're having can be another contributing factor where you have cold pipes running through really hot ground,” he said.
Colleen Wright, the store manager at Two Chicks Vintage Marketplace, said despite the project, the strip and their business had seen steady success.
"Tuesdays are typically our slow days and this Tuesday has been a lot different. Been very busy. A lot of people still coming in regardless of if they can park on the riverfront or if they park on the street,” she said.
Her neighbor Joe Ancmon who owns two restaurants on the street said communication from the city had been good and that they would help the crews that are helping make the repairs.
“It's hot outside. These guys are laying on bricks so we decided to get some of the restaurants that are involved here and buy these guys lunch tomorrow,” Ancmon said.
Galla said the city will keep the road closed to drivers until the end of the day on Wednesday.
The plan is for everything to be cleaned up by the weekend for the city's July 4 celebration.