Dozens of roads to be closed for £2.5 million upgrade of Northampton’s sewers

Anglian Water is planning to re-line 90 different sections of sewer including five-and-a-half kilometres of pipes in the town centre.

The aim of the work is to protect the ageing brickwork and reduce the potential for the sewer to be blocked.

The work will involve a number of road closures across the town while the work is carried out.

Roads affected include Booth Lane South, Collingtree Road, Kettering Road and Weedon Road.

The work involves a long ‘sock’ lined with resin being inserted into the sewer where it fixes itself to the walls. It is then heat cured to form a rigid pipe within a pipe which is designed to last for 100 years.

John Clare from Anglian Water said road closures may be needed for safety reasons but this will be done with plenty of notice and access will be maintained for residents and emergency vehicles.

He said: “This is a big job but the hope is that by using the liners we can keep disruption to an absolute minimum.

The Government today announced millions of pounds more for road repairs in Northamptonshire on the day the county was hit by the first snowfall of 2013.

Northamptonshire County Council, which oversees highways maintenance, will receive an additional £3.7m over the next two years in addition to the current annual budget of £16m which the authority spends on preventative road repairs across 2,500 miles of roads.

According to County Hall, the heavy rainfall at the end of last year has caused considerable damage to the roads and, combined with the current severe winter weather, it will bring further deterioration.

Councillor Andre Gonzalez De Savage, county council cabinet member for infrastructure and public protection, said: “We very much welcome this extra money from the Government which is part of a nationwide investment with the aim of helping councils to fund the repair and maintenance of roads which are experiencing increased deterioration due to successive severe winters and the recent heavy rainfall.

“We will use this extra money to continue with our good work of preventative repairs which extends the life of roads and therefore reduce the need for future full structural reconstruction works which can cost up to 10 times more.

“In this way the county council is able to improve value for money and treat more of the road network.”

The Government has made £2,457m available in 2013/14 with a further £1,315m on offer for the financial year 2014/15.

Fluctuations in temperature during very cold conditions can break up the road surface as water expands when it turns to ice. But milder weather brings no respite as surface water can also damage highways because vehicle tyres compress water to such an extent, the increased pressure breaks up the carriageway.

Published on Monday 14 January 2013 13:22

http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/business/local-businesses/3-7m-extra-to-treat-northamptonshire-s-weather-worn-roads-1-4679675