Greystones faces months of traffic disruption as work to replace water pipes to start

Joe Carroll Regional Delivery Lead at Irish Water.

Bray People

Traffic in Greystones is expected to be disrupted for several months as Uisce Éireann undertakes works on Church Lane in the town in a bid to drive down leakage across the county and improve the water supply to homes and businesses.

Working in partnership with Wicklow County Council, Uisce Éireann is replacing almost 600 meters of old and damaged water mains along Church Lane, Greystones, with works due to begin next week. This section of works will take place along Church Lane between Kindlestown Road and Church Road.

Replacing these old, damaged pipes with new, modern pipework will greatly reduce the instances of bursts, outages, and low-pressure affecting customers in the area. These works will also deliver cost savings by providing improved water network operations that will require less maintenance into the future.

Highlighting the importance of these upgrades, Joe Carroll, Infrastructure Delivery Programme Manager at Uisce Éireann said: “We are delighted to announce this major investment for Wicklow. Replacing these old and damaged cast-iron water mains is a first step in tackling low water pressure, bursts, and leakage issues which have been affecting homes and businesses. The works will not only reduce the amount of drinking water lost to leakage but will also deliver a much more reliable water supply for current and future generations.

“On behalf of Uisce Éireann, I would like to thank the local community in Greystones for their patience and cooperation as traffic management will be necessary as the project progresses. However, based on previous experiences, we know that the short-term inconvenience will be overshadowed by the long-term benefits.”

The works also involve laying new water service connections from the public water main in the road to customers’ property boundaries and connecting it to the customer’s water supply. The project may involve some short-term supply interruptions which we understand may cause inconvenience, however, the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours’ notice prior to any planned water interruptions.

To minimise the impact on the local community and to complete the works in a safe and efficient manner, the project will be delivered on a phased basis with areas of work limited to short sections. There will be a road closure along Church Road for the duration of the project, with diversion routes signposted on approach. Local and emergency traffic will be maintained at all times.

The project is being carried out by Ward & Burke Construction Ltd on behalf of Uisce Éireann and is expected to be completed in early June.