Damaged water main to be replaced

A failed water main on the Sinclair Street bridge will be replaced.

November’s Assets and Services Committee heard that the water main in the deck/footpath of the bridge had failed. A leak was identified in July and further investigation found a split in the pipe at the deck and road interface.

Operations and Maintenance Service Engineer Stephen Rooney said the pipeline had been isolated to stop water loss and potential damage to roading infrastructure but that meant reduced water flow to the Mayfield and Riversdale areas.

“This is an area where there is movement between the bridge deck and the flexible roading pavement - the underside of the pipe has split at this point,” his report to the committee said.

“If it is not replaced there may be lower than desired water pressure in these areas during summer and it may also impact on firefighting capacity,” he said.

An estimate for the replacement is $350,000 given the repair was likely to be complex, requiring replacement of the pipe the full length of the bridge.

Traffic management costs were also considerable given the bridge is part of SH1.

The committee approved replacing the pipe with money from existing budgets.