A MAJOR half a million-pound water main replacement project will result in five weeks of road closures near Corfe Castle.
Wessex Water says its ongoing project to safeguard the future of the water supply on the Isle of Purbeck will take a “significant step forward” over the next two months.
The £500,000 scheme to relocate and replace a degrading water main close to Corfe Castle on the Dorset peninsula will soon enter its second phase, with a new pipe laid to enhance water quality and cope with increasing demand.
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The initial stages of the project have been continuing since July, with Wessex Water teams working in fields close to the B3351 near Corfe Castle before moving on to the road from mid-September.
The existing main was sited entirely within the road but Wessex engineers redesigned the project so that the majority of more than 1,000 metres of new main was moved on to adjacent land.
A Wessex Water spokesperson said: “This is a major project to repair a cast-iron water main that has burst regularly over the last decade and is now unsuitable for the demand currently being placed on it.
“We have worked hard to ensure that the new main is sited away from the road as much as possible, as replacing it in its existing location would have caused a significantly longer impact on the local community.
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“Only a short section of the new main will now be within the road and we will be carrying out that work as quickly as possible between September and the start of December.”
The new phase of work got under way last week at the B3351/Thrashers Lane junction.
From Monday, October 31, lasting for five weeks – Meadus's Lane near Corfe Castle will be closed at the junction with the B3351, with a signposted diversion route and traffic lights and a temporary 40mph speed restriction in place on the B3351.
A short section of the B3351 just north of Corfe Castle will then be closed near the entrance to the Dorset Adventure Park for five weeks from October 31, with a signposted diversion route via the A351 and Ulwell Road in Swanage in place.
Wessex Water added: “We have been in contact with businesses and authorities throughout the Isle of Purbeck to advise them of the impact of the work and access arrangements.
“We will continue to update them on the progress of the project, which is expected to be completed by Friday December 2, and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
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