NI Water sewer upgrades underway in Maghera
23 February 2024 13:57
The sewerage system in Maghera town centre is set to benefit from a series of upgrades by NI Water.
The programme of work – which has already seen a repair to the network on Tirkane Road – will strengthen the sewerage network in Maghera and help protect against out-of-sewer flooding. Work will continue this week on Fair Hill/Hall Street junction and move to other locations within the town centre over the next five weeks.
Outlining the areas where upgrades are planned and the traffic management that will be required at each location, Kieran Grant, NI Water project manager said:
“This programme of rehabilitation work to provide a more robust sewerage network in Maghera will include some open-cut excavations and relining of sewers from existing manholes at various locations within the town centre. To carry out the work in the safest possible manner, it will be necessary to have traffic, parking and pedestrian management in place around the working areas as follows:
1. Fair Hill/Hall Street junction (26th February to 1st March 2024): A lane closure and 3-way traffic lights implemented to facilitate an open-cut repair.
2. St. Lurachs Road (4th to 8th March 2024): St Lurachs Road will be closed to through traffic from its junction with Meeting House Avenue to its junction with Hall Street. Access for businesses and residents living within the closure will be maintained but may be subject to slight delays. Access to St Lurachs Road car park will also be maintained and the bus stops on St Lurachs Road will operate as normal during this section of work. A diversion route will be signposted for motorists via: Hall Street – Main Street – Bank Square - Meeting House Avenue.
3. Bank Square (11th to 15th March 2024): A road closure will be implemented on Bank Square from its junction with Meeting House Avenue to facilitate an open-cut sewer repair at the end of the cul-de-sac. Access to properties as far as No. 11 Bank Square will be maintained but may be subject to slight delays. Access to Alex Scott & Son should be taken via Church Street. Pedestrian access to the Walled Garden will be maintained throughout the works.
4. St Lurachs Road Car Park (18th to 22nd March 2024): A number of car parking spaces will be temporarily fenced off to facilitate the sewer upgrades within the car park. A footpath closure will be implemented on the pedestrian access laneway from Main Street through to St Lurachs Road. Pedestrian management will be in place.
5. Main Street and Coleraine Road (provisional date 25th – 29th March 2024): A section of work is also required on Main Street/Church Street and on Coleraine Road. This work involves relining of sewers by trenchless means from existing manholes and therefore will not require any excavation. The road permit for this section is still to be approved but we currently anticipate that this work will take place at night under a lane closure towards the end of March.
“The traffic management arrangements have been carefully considered in a bid to minimise impact and our contractor AG Wilson will strive to complete the work in the shortest possible timescale.
“Access to all businesses and residential properties in the working areas will be maintained but may be subject to slight delays and parking restrictions may be in place around working areas. Access for emergency vehicles will be provided throughout the duration of work.
“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 our project team from AECOM and AG Wilson would like to thank residents, businesses and the wider public 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.
ENDS
For further information, please email press.office@niwater.com