Five water mains in downtown Helena broke in two days after city crews began preparing for the second phase of a major water system project, the city said Tuesday.
In the long term, the $3.1 million, four-phase Helena Crosstown Connector replacement project will make maintenance easier, Helena staff previously said.
The connector itself is a key part of the city’s water system, but when the project was approved in 2025, it was “in need of an update and upgrade,” city documents stated.
The large water transmission main connects the Ten Mile Water Treatment Plant outfall main near Williams Street to water storage facilities on Mount Helena and at the Missouri River Water Treatment Plant outfall, according to city documents.
The main was constructed through separate projects in 1960, 1971 and 1974. Because of how the outdated system is built, maintenance sometimes requires significant water service to be shut down.
Helena has begun phase two of the Crosstown Connector Water Project, which aims to replace a 60 year old, aging connector that is key to the city's water infrastructure.
It also sets the city up for water loss and damage if something breaks and there aren’t valves set up to...