City awards drinking water line replacement project
The Picayune City Council approved a request to award the Drinking Water System Improvements Project Phase 1 Project to Jay Bearden Construction, Inc in the amount of their lowest and best bid of $2,991,799.61.

The goal of this project, according to Jonathan Hickman (pictured standing) from the City Engineer’s office, is to eliminate all existing transite water pipes that have begun to fail by cracking. This project will focus on the areas in most needed of line replacement which includes Ponderosa subdivision, Chateauguay subdivision, Woodland Heights subdivision, and the Telly Road area.
In response to a question from councilman Larry Breland on where the money for this project will come from, City Clerk Amber Hinton stated that the money will come from a loan from the State Revolving Funds (SRF) financing. The SRF program provides low interest loans for water infrastructure projects for municipalities, businesses, non-profits, and individuals for projects that meet the program’s criteria.
Pictures of cracked (failed) transite pipe recovered by the city and on display at City Hall
In previous coverage by WRJW News, Director of Public Works Eric Morris said that the current transite pipes were installed in the 1960s and he estimates that the city has approximately 52,000 feet of pipe (approximately 10 miles).
Transite lines are made of a concrete base, and over time, begin to crack due to long term pressure. Hickman said that once a transite pipe breaks and cracks, it is nearly impossible to tie it back into the water system.
The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) program is a federal-state partnership to help ensure safe drinking water. The DWSRF program provides financial support to water systems and to state safe water programs. Hickman said this project is estimated to take 395 days to complete.
In previous coverage by WRJW News, Director of Public Works Eric Morris said that the current transite pipes were installed in the 1960s and he estimates that the city has approximately 52,000 feet of pipe (approximately 10 miles).