MOTORISTS face up to an extra month of disruption on the A8 in Greenock after Scottish Water confirmed it was extending restrictions on the main road.

The agency is carrying out a major £2.5 million project to alleviate flooding at East Hamilton Street and has now decided to tackle a second project at the site.

The separate scheme, to reline a section of the local sewer, is to be carried out using the same road traffic management arrangements that have been in place for the past five months.

Georgina Reid, Scottish Water’s corporate affairs regional affairs manager in the west said: “Our alliance partner Caledonia Water Alliance is involved in a Scotland-wide programme to survey and where required upgrade sections of our 33,000-mile-long network of sewers.

“Specialist contractors carrying out this work took the opportunity to examine a section of pipework in the immediate vicinity of Pottery Street under the current traffic management.

“The survey found remedial work is required so we have decided to carry it out using the road permissions already granted for the flood alleviation project.”

The flood alleviation project, which is due to be completed during December, has seen a new screened Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) constructed in the grounds of Inverclyde Council’s Pottery Street roads depot.

Works to upgrade and connect the CSO to the local sewer network have involved around five months of traffic management on the A8, with the road reduced to one lane in each direction.

But the Tele recently revealed how an extension to the Temporary Traffic Restriction Order (TTRO) had been sought and put in place, until the end of February 2024.

 

It's now been confirmed by Scottish Water that the new sewer relining project will now be delivered using this extra time.

Ms Reid said: “In practical terms we will be working on the road for approximately three to four weeks longer than originally scheduled while we deliver this extra project under similar traffic management arrangements.

“The benefit of doing this means we will not have to return to the site later in the year and excavate the newly reinstated road and central reservation.

"It also means the sewer relining can be completed in approximately half the time it would otherwise require.

“I can appreciate there will be a sense of disappointment at what is perceived as a delay.

“This is actually an additional project being delivered in less time and with less disruption than would otherwise be the case.”