The Branxholme pipeline upgrade is one of Invercargill’s biggest infrastructure projects and it is set to head to one of Invercargill’s busiest streets early this year.
The upgrade involves replacing about 10km of existing pipeline network, between the Branxholme Water Treatment Plant on the outskirts of Invercargill, to the water tower in Gala St.
Invercargill City Council programme director Lee Butcher said the council, together with its contractor Rooney Earthmoving, had revised the works programme so that work resumed in Herbert St once the festive season was over.
"Originally, this work was scheduled for later in 2024. But, given these streets are thoroughfares used by many residents — whether it’s to drop the kids off at school, or head to the office — it made sense to try and complete this work while people were still trickling back after their holiday.
"The work here means we’re required to shut a section of the roads to all traffic.
"With several schools in the immediate vicinity of this area, and schools not set to return until the end of January, it made sense to get as much of this done as quickly as possible.
"Our hope is that by focusing our attention on this part of town straight out of the gate in 2024, we’ll avoid disrupting as many people’s daily routines as we possibly can."
Sections of Herbert, Russel and Kelvin Sts will be closed to both vehicle and pedestrian traffic while work to install the new pipeline is under way.
Work will begin on Monday and is expected to wrap up on January 19.
The upgrade was a project the council simply had to undertake, and people in various parts of the central city would inevitably be affected as the work progressed, Mr Butcher said.
Work on the upgrade began in mid-2022 and is expected to continue until the end of this year.
The city’s existing pipeline was originally installed in 1958, and had come to the end of its life, he said.
The network would be replaced by a more durable, modern pipeline to ensure future generations of Invercargill and Bluff residents continued to have access to clean, safe drinking water.
