Northern Ireland Water will undertake sewer improvement work on the sewerage system on Dublin Road and Main Street next week as part of an overall programme of work to improve the existing sewers in the Castlewellan area.

The work will involve both traditional open-cut construction and trenchless (underground) repairs to the existing sewers and has been scheduled to take place during the school holidays to minimise disruption. Work is planned to get underway during the week commencing 13th February 2023 and will last approximately one week. 

Outlining the details of the work on Dublin Road and Main Street, Kieran Grant, NI Water Project Manager said: 

“This essential work – which will strengthen the sewerage network in Castlewellan and help protect against out-of-sewer flooding – will get underway with traditional open cut repairs to sewers on the Dublin Road, opposite The Lodge Cultural & Business Centre, followed by trenchless sewer repair works to the existing sewers on Dublin Road and Main Street. The trenchless repairs will be undertaken from existing manholes and will extend from the area opposite The Lodge Cultural & Business Centre to Lower Square.”

Advising on the traffic management arrangements which have been carefully considered in a bid to minimise impact, Mr Grant continued: “Working hours for this first section of repairs will be from 8.00am to 5.30pm. During this time a single carriageway lane closure with manned traffic lights will be implemented daily to maintain traffic flow. Stop/Go boards will be used at peak times i.e. 8am to 9.30am and 3.30pm to 5.30pm to help reduce traffic congestion. 

“Following the work from Dublin Road to Lower Square, a second section of trenchless sewer repairs from existing manholes will extend from Lower Square to No. 77 Main Street. A section of footpath adjacent to No. 77 Main Street will be temporarily closed in order to gain access to the existing manhole. This section of work will be undertaken at night (between 8pm and 6am) in a bid to minimise disruption to businesses. Access to all business and residential properties in the area will be maintained but may be subject to slight delays and parking restrictions may be in place around a working area. 

“NI Water and our contractor, AG Wilson Civil Engineering, will make every effort to minimise noise and complete the work in the shortest possible timeframe. It is anticipated that the most disruptive elements of the night-time works will be completed by 11pm. 

 

“We would take this opportunity to highlight that construction sites are dangerous areas for unauthorised persons, especially children and we would appreciate your cooperation in ensuring that children do not play in or around the works or machinery. Working areas will have warning signs in place to protect the public from any hazards. The public are advised to stay away from working areas for their own safety.

“NI Water and AG Wilson thank local residents, businesses and the wider public in advance for their patience and cooperation while we undertake this essential work. This project will improve the condition of the existing sewerage system, reducing the likelihood of sewer collapses, blockages and ‘out of sewer’ flooding.”

NI Water manages a network of 15,600km of sewers on a daily basis and we have spent billions investing in our water and wastewater infrastructure. However, no amount of investment will completely stop blocked pipes or inappropriate items polluting our environment. Items such as baby wipes and sanitary products are often the cause of out of sewer flooding which can easily be avoided by only flushing the 3Ps, pee, poo and toilet paper; everything else needs to go in the bin. 

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For further information, please email press.office@niwater.com