Work to replace water pipes planned in Arcadia area over coming days

Irish Water said work is to be carried out in the coming days to replace almost 500 metres of old cast-iron water mains in the Arcadia area of Athlone.

It said there may be some short-term traffic and water supply disruption in the area due to the work.

The old water mains in Arcadia Heights and Arcadia Crescent are to be replaced with new, modern pipes which are expected to reduce the number of bursts and water outages impacting customers.

The works will also involve laying new water service connections from the public water main in the road to customers’ property boundaries and connecting it to the customer’s water supply.

Irish Water said the work was being carried out in partnership with Westmeath County Council and that, in order to minimise the impact on customers, the areas of work would be limited to short sections.

"To facilitate the safe delivery of these works some traffic management may be necessary, however, local and emergency access will be maintained. The works may involve some short-term supply disruptions which we understand may cause inconvenience.

"The project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours’ notice prior to any planned water interruptions. Irish Water and Westmeath County Council regret any inconvenience these improvement works may cause," said Irish Water's statement on the project.

In addition, Westmeath County Council notified the public of overnight roadworks that would be taking place in Arcadia during the second half of this week:

Commenting on the pipe replacement work, Matt Thomson, Leakage Reduction Programme Regional Lead with Irish Water, said: "Irish Water acknowledges the ongoing co-operation and patience of local residents and businesses in Athlone while we continue to deliver these vital water network improvement works to improve the water supply.

"The size and scale of the leakage challenge nationally is well documented. These essential works together with the leakage savings and upgrade works to date will safeguard the water supply in Athlone now and into the future, and will also support future growth and development."

The work will be carried out on behalf of Irish Water by GMC Utilities Ltd, and is expected to be completed next month.