A frustrating blockage has ended in Alton as work to replace a pipeline under a busy road has finished nearly a month ahead of schedule.
Traffic is moving freely again on Chawton Park Road as South East Water has completed a £160,000 project to replace 180 metres of new pipeline.
The project started on April 22 with traffic being diverted via the A31 while work took place on a small section of the road.
The pipeline has been upgraded as part of a bid to support and strengthen the water supply network around south west Alton because of the area’s growing population.
Work was expected to last eight weeks until mid-June but the pipeline has been brought into service early and the road closure has been lifted four weeks earlier than planned.
“This was an important project for us to improve resilience in the water network for both our existing and future customers, reducing the risk of low pressures as the population grows in Alton,” said Jeremy Dufour, SEW project manager.
“We know road closures cause disruption for residents and businesses locally and we have worked hard to finish the project as safely and as quickly as possible to minimise the impact.”
Mr Dufour added: “We would like to thank the local community for their patience and understanding while we carried out this vital work.”
The Chawton Park Road pipeline upgrade project is part of SEW’s commitment to invest £489million to improve the region’s water supply infrastructure between 2020 and 2025.