UPDATE: The Somerset County Road Department announced work on Watchung's water main replacement along Mountain Boulevard will begin this week.

On Wednesday, the county's project status list added: "Beginning on or about September 10, 2012 and continuing until approximately November 15, 2012, New Jersey American Water will begin work to replace a water main on a section of Mountain Boulevard, from Brookdale Road to Wetumpka Lane. Construction will begin at 9:00 am and continue until 4:00 pm, Mondays through Fridays. Some Saturday construction may be necessary. Although Mountain Boulevard will not be closed, be prepared that traffic will be reduced to one lane, with alternating traffic directed by the Police Department."

The work is expected to cause traffic delays and affect school bus schedules as traffic is limited to one lane during the work.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE (from June 13):

With work on Mountain Boulevard already set for the fall, New Jersey American Water will take advantage of the ripped-up roadway to replace a troublesome water main in the borough at the same time.

The company will be replacing 8,100 feet of a 12-inch cast iron water main installed in the 1950s with 12-inch ductile-iron main in a $1.7 million project, Richard Barnes, NJ American Water spokesman, said. The company has not said whether the same line in Warren is schedule for replacement yet or not. 

The main has been breaking with increasing frequency, including a break in April that closed Mountain Boulevard for a day. The company has some 9,000 miles of water or sewer main pipes thorughout the state, with about 15 percent of it reaching 100 years in service by 2020. 

The Watchung replacement project will be done in two phases, with the first in September, Barnes said. The project will be completed by July 2013, covering the area from Old Stirlng Road to Brookdale Road.