A Seqwater pipeline upgrade in north-west Brisbane has reached a construction milestone with more than 720m of new pipeline installed and ready to be connected.
The $4.2 million upgrade began in July 2016 and involves the replacement of one of the oldest pipelines in the SEQ Water Grid, with two new sections of underground pipeline aiming to improve the reliability of drinking water supply to more than 50,000 consumers.
Stage one of the upgrade is now complete with a 300mm diameter pipeline laid between Victoria and Bridge streets in Ashgrove.
Seqwater Acting Chief Executive Officer, Jim Pruss, thanked local residents and businesses for their patience and understanding during construction.
“This is a very important upgrade for improving the reliability of water supply in the area, but we understand having construction outside your front door is not easy,” Mr Pruss said.
“We couldn’t have got to this point without the cooperation of the local community.”
With the new pipeline in Ashgrove now complete, stage two will begin in Enoggera and Alderley.
“Next up, we are building a 1.3km pipeline between Lloyd Street in Alderley and Pickering Street in Enoggera,” Mr Pruss said.
“This work will involve tunnel boring under a nearby railway line, so we have worked closely with Queensland Rail and Translink during the design and planning phases.”
Stage two will take around four months and once the section of pipeline is complete, an existing water main along Wardell Street, between Ashgrove and Enoggera, will be retired.
“Our pipeline along Wardell Street is 75 years old and ready for retirement,” Mr Pruss said.
“Once both new pipelines are ready to start transporting water, we will be taking this old pipeline out of action.”
The upgrade is expected to be completed in early 2017 and the new pipelines will play a key role in the SEQ Water Grid.
