WORK undertaken by Lower Murray Water over the last fortnight to install new water mains in the Kerang CBD will be followed by council roadworks to seal trenches around the Victoria Street roundabout.
The work has seen verges around the roundabout dug up in recent days, and the Scoresby Street entrance to the roundabout closed to road traffic on Wednesday.
Lower Murray Water’s Southern Region executive manager David Girdwood said the water authority was replacing more than 100 metres of water mains at the intersection to update the infrastructure and ensure a reliable water supply to customers.
“We recently detected a leak on the 250mm diameter concrete water main beneath the road pavement within the roundabout,” Mr Girdwood said.
“This water main was installed in the late 1930s, and along with several other mains and various fittings located within the roundabout, are approaching the end of design life,” Mr Girdwood said.
“The pipes were installed prior to the construction of the roundabout when the streets formed a four-way intersection.”
The Gannawarra Shire Council plans to seal the trenches dug for the new pipes as soon as the Lower Murray Water project is complete.
The council’s director of infrastructure and development, Geoff Rollinson, said early next year it would also reseal the Scoresby Street-Victoria Street intersection, which is affected by “crocodile cracking”.
“The [water mains] trenches have temporarily been filled with rubble to enable traffic access at this intersection,” Mr Rollinson, said.
“Council will seal the trenches dug for Lower Murray Water’s new pipes as soon as this project is complete.
“Council will also reseal the intersection of Scoresby and Victoria streets in late January/early February 2020 as part of its road sealing works program.”
Mr Girdwood said to eliminate the risk of having to repair further leaks following the council works, the new mains would be installed on alignments clear of the roundabout.
“This will ensure that any future maintenance can be carried out with minimal disruption to traffic,” he said.
“The water mains in this intersection play an important role in delivering water to customers so it is important that they continue to be well maintained.”
He said the works were anticipated to be finished by the start of December in order to meet summer demand.
