NI Water has announced that a lane closure currently in operation on Meadow Lane in Portadown will be removed ahead of Christmas.

The lane closure is currently in place to facilitate a £7.8 million wastewater upgrade, it was implemented in mid-October by NI Water's appointed contractor, BSG. The lane closure has created a safe working area for the construction of a tunnelling pit adjacent to Tim Hortons.

This is one of three tunnelling pits associated with the multi-million-pound investment which will be used to install over 600 metre of new sewer by underground trenchless methods.

As part of this investment a new wastewater pumping station will be constructed which includes a 20 metre diameter underground storage tank capable of holding 1.5 million litres of stormwater.

This critical new wastewater infrastructure will support economic growth and future development in the area and deliver important environmental benefits for the community including reduced risk of out-of-sewer flooding and improved water quality in local watercourses through the closure of storm overflows.

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Lisa Hughes, NI Water Senior Project Manager said: "The contraflow system will be removed by 22nd December with Meadow Lane being fully reopened ahead of Christmas. The road will remain open throughout the tunnelling works which are due to get underway in early January 2024. By employing innovative trenchless pipelaying techniques, our contractor BSG and their pipelaying specialists can install the new larger diameter sewer without any impact to motorists or pedestrians.

"However, for safety reasons there will be three further occasions when the contraflow system (lane closure) will be needed: on two evenings to facilitate the removal of the tunnel boring machine and for a longer period to reinstate the area at Tim Hortons following completion of pipelaying. Later in the project, traffic management will also be required to complete final pipeline connections. We will inform the public well in advance of future traffic management plans.

"To complete the tunnelling works a third and final tunnelling compound will be required in Meadow East Car Park. Work to create this compound will commence in early January 2024. A number of car parking spaces will need to be temporarily removed to facilitate this tunnelling pit. Any disabled bays affected by the construction works will be relocated as close as possible to the existing disabled spaces within the car park. Additional parking spaces within Meadow East Car Park were created by BSG as part of the early construction phase to offset the space required for this tunnel shaft and minimise the impact of these essential NI Water works.

"Signage will be erected in the car park to inform motorists in advance of the compound area being constructed.

"NI Water and our project team from McAdam and BSG would take this opportunity to thank businesses, residents and road users for their patience and cooperation while we undertake this important work. The team will strive to minimise the impact of all works on the local community and deliver this multi-million-pound project in a safe, efficient and timely way."