NI Water Sewer Improvement Work gets underway in Dunmurry & Belfast areas

12 January 2021 10:08

NI Water has commenced a £500,000 programme of essential sewer improvement work in the Dunmurry and wider West & South Belfast areas. This is part of an overall programme of work to improve the existing sewers in these areas, which will enhance the local sewerage infrastructure and reduce the risk of out of sewer flooding.  Work commenced in early January and we anticipate it will last approximately 10 weeks overall.

NI Water’s Mark Sefton, Senior Project Manager said:

“This essential work will involve the repair of existing sewers and will mainly be undertaken using underground trenchless techniques, which will significantly reduce the duration and disruption of the works to the public. However, it will be necessary to undertake ‘open-dig’ repairs at a small number of locations due to the condition of the existing sewers. The work involved at each location will be of short duration: 1 – 2 days/nights. 

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the public for their patience and cooperation as we complete this essential work and we will do everything possible to minimise disruption at all locations. Local communities will benefit from the sewer improvements and reduced flood risk for many years to come.” 

Some of the work will take place within private lands; however, in order to undertake any work located on roads safely, it may necessary to have short duration lane closures in place and two-way traffic will be maintained using temporary traffic controls where appropriate. Vehicular access for residents/businesses will be maintained as far as possible but may be subject to slight delays, and pedestrian access will be available at all times. Parking restrictions will be in place around the working areas.

Where possible, the works will be undertaken during normal working hours. However, due to location, it will be necessary to undertake some of the work during the evening/night-time hours to reduce disruption to businesses and the public. 

The work will be undertaken at various locations around the Dunmurry & South/West Belfast areas, and signage will be in place in the affected areas.

NI Water, through our project team including contractor Geda Construction and AECOM will liaise with any residents/businesses directly affected by these works. We appreciate that work of this nature can be disruptive; we will endeavour to keep disruption to a minimum particularly during the night-time works. 

We are all practising social distancing – our priority is to keep customers and colleagues safe. So please keep your distance and our workers will carry on with their essential work for you.

The Sewer Improvement Work throughout Dunmurry & Belfast is an excellent example of what can be done when the necessary funding is in place.

NI Water’s goal is to ensure we have a modern, efficient service today and in the future. While chronic underfunding of NI Water is an urgent issue, we are working hard at a local level to find solutions to enable Councils and developers to progress their vision and facilitate future economic development. 

The message is clear, NI Water is ready to provide engineering solutions to short-term constraints where possible, however we must face the inescapable reality that the full funding identified by the Utility Regulator in its Draft Determination (PC21 business plan) is required to fulfil the vision of economic expansion for our towns and cities.  

This is not a ‘wish list’ or a ‘nice to have’; this is the plan that will help us ensure NI Water can deliver in a strong, modern regional economy.

Ends

Notes to Editors:

A video of the Sewer Improvement programme can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gObOphvWWNo 

Works will take place at the locations below, many of which will be short duration repairs with minimal disruption. Some sewer relining will also be undertaken and ‘open excavation’ works will be required at a small number of locations.

Belfast

Glen Road
Andersonstown Road
Kennedy Way
Stockmans Lane
Stockmans Way
Suffolk Road
Stewartstown Road
Trench Park
Orchardville Crescent
Finaghy Road South
Upper Lisburn Road
Upton Park
Credenhill Park
Aspen Walk
The Hawthorns
Trossachs Drive
Olde Forge Manor
Upper Malone Road


Dunmurry

Kingsway
Barbour Gardens
Upper Dunmurry Lane
Hill Street
Glebe Road
The Cutts
Railway Street
Alder Close
River Road
Woodland Park
Moss Road
Belsize Road

A few key points to remember:

• Remember wipes will clog the sewers and result in blockages and flooding – never flush a wipe. For further information log on to  www.niwater.com/bag-it-and-bin-it/ 
• Beware of Bogus Callers – if you are concerned about the identity of someone at your door, you can call the PSNI non-emergency number ‘101’ where you will have the option of a ‘Quickcheck’ to confirm the caller is from the utility they say they are.
• Do not let children go near work sites or equipment, this can be extremely dangerous. 

Information on water supply issues affecting your property are also available 24/7 simply by logging onto http://www.niwater.com/current-service-updates/ 

For further information, please contact NI Water’s Press Office by emailing:Press.office@niwater.com