Missouri American Water will be closing a section of Reavis Road in South St. Louis County for roughly three weeks beginning this week.

Reavis Road will be closed between Reavis Park Drive and Bexley Station Road beginning May 28 so that Missouri American Water can connect a new 16-inch main that has already been laid in the area with a main that runs beneath nearby railroad tracks.

Drivers are encouraged to find alternate routes during this period.

“Local police and fire departments will be notified, but we want to make sure the traveling public understands that this will be a temporary inconvenience,” said Debbie Maurer, operations technician.

“We prefer not to inconvenience people by closing roads, but our goal is to ensure the continued delivery of clean, safe, reliable drinking water supplies to our customers in this area.”

This road closure is the first phase of a larger project to replace and upgrade approximately 2,700 feet of 12-inch cast iron water main originally installed in 1934. This will improve supply, water pressure and firefighting abilities in the area.

The remaining phases will continue on Reavis Road between Tesson Ferry Road and Mackenzie Road.

Motorists can expect periodic traffic delays as the project progresses.

Work on these projects generally will take place from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Weather pending, Reavis Road is expected to reopen by June 15, while the full project is expected to be complete by late August or September. Restoration of any disturbed land will be finished within 90 days of project completion.

During construction, nearby customers might experience temporary water service interruptions, discolored water and/or lower-than-normal water pressure.