A sewer line break from early July between CSX railroad and Pendleton Pike near Carroll Road has not yet been repaired because the contractor hired by the City of Lawrence must wait for CSX to schedule a time to access the site.

Interim Utilities Superintendent Paul Wanner updated the Utility Service Board on the repair project during its Aug. 14 meeting, noting that city crews patched the break as soon as it was discovered and, so far, the patch is holding.

“There’s been issues with CSX being understaffed and being able to have somebody on site while that repair is being made,” Wanner said. “If they can find somebody for the weekend of (Aug. 24) that will volunteer to work that weekend, we could have somebody on-site on the 24th for the contractor to begin repairs. If not, they said the soonest they could schedule and be available was Sept. 19 and 20.”

Wanner said that, in the meantime, the city will continue to monitor the temporary patch and make sure it’s holding. He said several crew members are driving by the site daily.

In early July, the Utility Service Board approved an emergency expenditure of up to $125,000 for Culy Contracting to repair the sewer main, rather than wait for the usual contract-approval process. At the time, Wanner said the emergency motion was needed to proceed with repairs as soon as possible.

The board formally ratified a contract with Culy at the second meeting in July.