14 Mile 42-inch Water Main Project

The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA), in collaboration with its member partner communities of Commerce Township, Walled Lake, Wixom and Novi, has developed an action plan to continue building resiliency in the regional system after a 42-inch water transmission main broke on 14 Mile Road, west of M5, at the end of September. This plan was developed based on extensive data garnered from the recent inspection of nearly four miles of this transmission main.

The action plan, which involves both water main replacement and renewal, will occur in three phases over the next seven months, spanning mid-January 2026 through late April, with road restoration expected to be completed by the end of June.  

GLWA estimates that it will be investing $12.8 million in this critical infrastructure resiliency work. Within the last year, GLWA also completed a more than $110 million redundancy loop project in the water transmission system which allowed restoration of water service much more quickly than in previous breaks. 

Project Updates 4/17/26

Our team has made great progress in the field on the 14 Mile 42-inch project. Updates include:

• Work on the new 42” pipe has completed and the pipe has passed final inspections.
• GLWA crews have begun the process of bringing the new pipeline back into service, which will be completed in two segments between Haggerty PS and Wixom.
• Disinfection is completed within the first segment, which is between Haggerty PS and the 42” valve west of M-5, and we are currently awaiting results of the first round of bacteriological testing.
• LSIP on-site this week dissecting segments of the old PCCP pipe that had been removed from the project
• Current traffic closures:
  •  EB 14 Mile Rd between Walled Lake and M-5 remains closed