Drilling to begin under Gloucester River as water upgrade continues

MidCoast Council

Work on Gloucester’s multimillion dollar water upgrade is continuing in the new year, with one of the most important stages of the project set to get underway on Monday 16 January.

Contractors working for MidCoast Council will drill under the Gloucester River to connect the final section of the new rising main from the Gloucester Water Treatment Plant to the Cemetery Road reservoirs site.

The work will take place from 7am-7pm Monday to Sunday and is expected to be completed by the end of January.

Construction sites will be set up on both sides of the Gloucester River, with one situated in the park on the southern side of the river and the other in the road reserve opposite Showground Road.

Council’s Director of Infrastructure and Engineering Services, Rob Scott, said community members could expect to see heavy machinery working in the area.

“While the work will have little impact on private property and motorists, it will be quite visible from both the park and the road,” said Mr Scott.

“However, pedestrians can continue to access the walking path in the park and the sites will be fenced off for public safety.”

Once finalised, the town’s water upgrade will be another step closer to completion, with the majority of work outside the Cemetery Road reservoirs site finished. Construction of the elevated steel reservoir is also around 90 per cent complete.

A new head contractor has been appointed to complete the remaining work at Cemetery Road, which includes construction of the seven million litre service reservoir and associated infrastructure.

Mr Scott said the project was on track to be finished by the end of 2023.

“We’re really looking forward to delivering this upgrade to Gloucester and we can’t wait for the community to experience a much improved level of service with their water.”

/Public Release. View in full here.