Drop-in information sessions to take place at Brunton Park
Two huge pipes supplying most of Carlisle’s drinking water are set for their first complete re-vamp in nearly 100 years.
Engineers working for United Utilities need to install brand new durable modern linings inside the cast iron pipes under Victoria Place, Warwick Road and Montgomery Way. However engineers are hoping to minimise the need for digging and finish the work faster by inserting most of the new pipe inside the existing ones.
The work is the latest and most substantial part of a £14m scheme to clean and refurbish more than 30km of pipes in the city.
Work will start in mid January and could take around 12 months to complete.
The first section of work will be along Montgomery Way and is not expected to need traffic lights.
Later sections of work along Warwick Road, between Montgomery Way and Victoria Place, will require temporary traffic lights in places and local people will be kept informed.
Residents are being invited to find out more at two customer drop-in sessions being held in the Sunset Suite at Brunton Park, home of Carlisle United, between 2pm and 7pm on both Wednesday December 5 and Thursday December 6.
Engineers and project officers will be on hand to explain the work and share maps and plans for minimising disruption. No appointments are needed. People can just drop in.
United Utilities third party coordinator Paul Wheadon said the work was essential to improve the water supplies for tens of thousands of customers.
“These cast iron pipes have served their communities well for more than nine decades but, over that length of time, harmless deposits of iron have built up which can cause occasional temporary discolouration for some of our 43,000 customers in the city, which we want to prevent.
“We have already upgraded more than 22km of Carlisle’s pipes as part of this project, but these two are critical because they are the ones that link the city to our water works at Cumwhinton and all the other pipes are linked to them.”
Extensive work on the water mains network has been carried out in advance to re-direct water flows along other water mains in Carlisle to allow the work in Warwick Road to take place.
Because the two pipes – measuring 18inches and 21inches in diameter – are so critical to Carlisle’s water supply, engineers will not be able to line both pipes at the same time, as one of them will need to be kept flowing at all times.
As work on each full pipe is completed it will be tested, flushed and brought back into action.
United Utilities says engineers will do everything possible to minimise disruption for motorists, residents and businesses, including working at weekends where possible.
For more information on progress and traffic updates please visit www.unitedutilities.com/carlisle
