The Hacketstown Road is to close for four months from next week.
The measure had been suggested some time ago and was hotly debated at the recent Carlow County Council meeting where members were told no decision had yet been made.
However, Uisce Éireann (Irish Water) has confirmed it’s proceeding with improvement works along the R726 from Monday.
They say the local authority has granted the closure for a period of four months with a temporary re-open set from 21st December until 8th January.
Diversion routes will be in place with local and emergency access maintained.
The utility says its significant investment in Co Carlow continues with substantial progress being made on replacing 6.5km of aged water mains in one of the areas most prone to leaks and supply disruptions in the county.
Crews have been working hard to replace aged and damaged water mains between Brownshill Reservoir and Stroboe Crossroads in recent months. This hard work will continue to ensure that when complete, customers will benefit from a more secure and reliable water supply with less disruption from unplanned outages. Crucially, the works will increase the network capacity, facilitate future development, enabling Carlow Town to thrive now and into the future.
Uisce Éireann’s Dave Murphy outlined the importance of the work being carried out and the benefits that will be felt by the community; “Old and damaged water mains are a huge source of leakage and continue to impact communities right across Ireland, causing low pressure and supply disruption. Replacing these aged water mains will significantly reduce the risk of leakage and increase the network capacity. This will allow for additional growth in the area and ensure Carlow Town can continue to thrive. We would like to thank customers for their cooperation and patience while these works continue in the area.”
The works may involve some short-term water interruptions and the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours’ notice prior to any planned water interruptions.
The works are being carried out on behalf of Uisce Éireann by Ward & Burke Ltd and it is planned that the works will be completed by Autumn 2024.
Customers can phone Uisce Éireann on 1800 278 278 if they have any questions about the project or check out the Water Supply Updates section of the Uisce Éireann website for regular updates.
In a statement, Uisce Éireann notes; “This project is one example of how Uisce Éireann is working in partnership with Carlow County Council to reduce leaks every day. Fixing leaks can be complicated. We have over 63,000 km of water pipes underground in Ireland – enough to circle the earth one and a half times. Most leaks aren’t visible, resulting in precious water being lost but we are making progress. In 2018 the rate of leakage nationally was 46%, by the end of 2022 it was 37%. We are on track to achieve a national leakage rate of 25% by the end of 2030.”
