Beginning Nov. 4, 2025, MDC will be investigating and rehabilitating old sewers in Central Row, Main Street and Market Street area over the next several months.
Central Row (from Main Street to Prospect Street intersection)
Week of November 24: No work. No active detours.
Week of December 1: Sewer Rehabilitation (Lining) will be performed on Central Row the night of December 2 through the morning of December 3.
Traffic Impacts: Two-way traffic will be maintained. Work hours for this task will be from 7:00 PM – 5:00 AM.
Market Street (between Kinsley Street and State Street)
Week of December 1: Sewer Rehabilitation (Lining) will take place on Market Street the night of December 1st through the morning of December 2nd.
Traffic Impacts: Two-way traffic will be maintained. Work hours for this task will be from 7:00 PM – 5:00 AM.
Click here for CT Transit bus route information
The second phase of sewer rehabilitation work will take place on Market Street from Kinsley to State Street starting in early December.
The third phase of the project will take place on Main Street in front of State House Square south to past the Travelers Building. In this phase, we will be rehabilitating the sewer pipe with cured in place pipe (CIPP) (see further details about CIPP below). There is a 16-hour cure time required for the CIPP and we will be in this location for about a week. This portion is planned for Spring 2026.
MDC has coordinated this work with the City of Hartford, CT Transit and other vital stakeholders and we apologize for the inconvenience during this time period. Businesses will remain open and sidewalks will remain open to pedestrian traffic.
The MDC also has a Google Traffic Map for all active construction projects:
https://www.mdc-roadclosures.com/liveupdates/index.php
Project Documents
Project Presentation 10.27.25 (* please refer to for project description only – as some dates have changed)
Project Construction Flyer 10.30.25
Press Release 10.31.25
History of Hartford’s Sewer System
The sewers being investigated and rehabilitated date back to 1865. Typically in that era, sewers were constructed with brick. Over the years in an effort to reduce extraneous infiltration of groundwater into the sewer system and extend the longevity of the system, MDC has embarked on an aggressive sewer rehabilitation program. The MDC typically utilizes a “trenchless technology” called cured in place pipe (CIPP), whereby a new pipe is installed within the older failing pipe. If the older host pipe is still in a good enough condition, CIPP lining is employed.
Sometimes we have to perform a point repair (via excavation) in a certain part of the an older failing pipe before we can successfully perform CIPP installation. This is determined by an inspection that is conducted with robotic cameras prior to attempting to install the CIPP. With CIPP a new structurally sound pipe is installed within the older failing brick sewer pipe, without digging or with limited digging in some instances and in a much faster timeframe. CIPP installation is performed by pulling a resin-impregnated felt-type liner through the host pipe.
This liner is then inflated to match diameter and shape of the host pipe, and then “cured” by ways of heat. When cured, this liner becomes a new pipe, similar in characteristics to a segment of plastic pipe. This heat can be applied either from steam or hot water. Once the curing process is complete, existing connections from buildings or catch basins are reinstated by “cutting” the new cured pipe in the location of these connections. (diagram or photo from lining process from DEEP quarterly update presentations)
Project information
Consent Order Project / CSO Grant/Loan DEEP Funding
Several phases of critical Large Diameter Sewer Rehabilitation, with Phase 3A
Part 1 $3.5M – (Contract #2023B-04)
Part 2 $4.0M
Part 3 (currently in design) estimated $10.5M
$18M for all three parts, which includes ~ 40,000 LF Cured In Place Pipe (CIPP)
Rehabilitation of the brick sewer mains installed (1863 to 1928) in Hartford
Substantial Completion: Part 1 – December 2025
Key project efforts:
Address Urgent Structural Failures of the Pipe
CIPP lining of the existing Brick/Tile Sewer Mains
Install new PVC sewer were practicable
Handle the traffic matters such as CT Transit, Pedestrians & Street Traffic
Outreach to Stakeholders