Donald Street at Hamilton has been closed to westbound traffic for the next nine days as Hunter Water crews work around the clock to repair a collapsed sewer main beneath the roadway.
Drivers have been urged to avoid the arterial commuter path past Beaumont Street leading out of the city as work continues and to take Tudor Street or Stewart Avenue instead, as congestion was expected to be heavy, particularly at peak hours.
Diversions via Lawson Street and into the residential backstreets of the Hamilton neighbourhood are in place, as all westbound lanes east of Beaumont Street are closed, and only one is open on the western side.
Residents have been warned that the work will generate considerable noise during the day as crews cut a 25-metre trench into the roadway at a depth of six metres to remove the collapsed wastewater pipeline, replace it and reseal the block.
The utility has committed crews to a 24-hour schedule over 10 days, beginning on Wednesday this week, racing to beat inclement weather in the forecast that could delay the project. A spokesperson for the utility said on Thursday, November 14, that, despite Wednesday afternoon's brief downpour, works were continuing according to schedule.
A pumped bypass has been installed around the collapsed main to service properties near the outage, and the spokesperson said that both drinking water and wastewater services to homes in the neighbourhood have been unaffected.
The most disruptive works are underway on the eastern side of Beaumont Street, where crews work with heavy machinery to access the broken main in the early stages of the project between Wednesday and Saturday this week.
Residents closest to the excavation area may feel vibration during some construction activities, the utility has advised. The project will replace about 15 metres of sewer line before refilling the void and resealing the roadway.
