Buncrana sewage works to continue until end of the year

Work on the major upgrade of Buncrana’s sewage network is not expected to be completed until the end of the year with work on the Cockhill Road pipeline, which has been causing serious traffic delays, set to continue until October.

The long-awaited work to upgrade the town’s sewage network began in March last year and is part of the €31m Buncrana, Ballybofey and Stranorlar sewerage scheme. 

Uisce Éireann says the scheme is aimed at reducing the risk of sewer flooding in Buncrana, improving water quality in the receiving waters, ensuring any discharge to Lough Swilly and meets all appropriate discharge standards, providing for growth and development in Buncrana and the surrounding areas and ensuring compliance with the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive.

Completed work includes pipelaying on Cahir O’Doherty Avenue, Castle Avenue, Marion Park, Westbrook and the St Mary’s Section of Cockhill Road and work on the Cockhill Road pipeline including tunnelling.

Usice Éireann has briefed local representatives on the work in recent days and revealed that the Cockhill Road work will continue until October.

Local councillor Jack Murray said it was “definitely not” expected that the work would last until the end of the year with a competition date in the first half of this year predicted.

He said representatives from the utility were apologetic about the delays and understood the impact the Cockhill Road work is having. 

“The work has caused huge disruption but people do recognise the need for the works and do recognise the benefits the works will bring in having the sewage network upgraded,” he said.  

“But there is obviously frustration that the days are ongoing. They did say at the meeting that they would explore every avenue to lessen the inconvenience and the traffic problems.”

In response to a query, Uisce Éireann said the work will be completed by the end of this year and the next crucial phase of the work involves open trench pipelaying spanning approximately 671 meters along Cockhill Road. 

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A spokeswoman for the company said: “To expedite progress and minimise disruption, two pipeline crews working simultaneously will be deployed. As a result, the reception and launch shaft will be closed, the metal piles will be removed to facilitate pipe laying via an open trench.

“The temporary traffic management on Cockhill Road involves a single lane closure only, which includes local and emergency access, and is managed by timed traffic lights. Therefore, road users still have access to Cockhill Road via a single lane. The necessity of this single-lane closure lies in its alignment with the location of the reception and launch shafts, which facilitated access for the tunnelling-boring machine and was crucial for the project's advancement. As pipelaying transitions to open trench works, the single lane closure remains necessary for the project's progression.”