A message from South East Water (29 August 2023):
Water main improvements in Upper Street, Leeds (Phase 2)
I wanted to update you about the progress on our water main replacement project in Upper Street, Leeds.
Work is progressing well, and the team are currently on programme. To date, we’ve laid 235 metres and transferred 21 customers on to the new pipework as well as having undertaken a connection on to our existing network. The team working on site have discovered that there has been space within the road that has provided the ability to directional drill some sections to pipeline.
Directional drilling is a technique for laying pipe that requires two pits to be dug several metres apart and the pipe drilled between them. This can be used instead of the traditional open trench techniques.
As a result of this, we will be moving the hard closure earlier than originally planned. This morning (Tuesday 29 August), the hard closure will be moved from its current location to halfway across the junction with Forge Lane. This will allow the team to continue laying the new main, as well as digging trial holes to see if it is possible to continue drilling. If this is not possible, we will have to undertake open cut methods, but by extending our closure to Forge Lane, we can investigate the feasibility of this.
We have written to residents affected directly by this, as it does mean that the direction they access their property from may now change.
Thank you for your continued patience as we carry out this vital work.
Kind regards
South East Water
…
A further public meeting has been confirmed, and this will be:
• Thursday 14 September
Time: 6:00pm
Venue: St Nicholas Church, Leeds, Maidstone, ME17 1RL
This will not be a ‘drop-in’ session. We will open the meeting at 6.00pm with a brief recap of the project and provide an update on progress. We will then proceed to review the additional traffic management measures in place. This will be done on a road-by-road basis to allow residents of each road to be heard, with time at the end for any other concerns to be raised. The closure will not be lifted for these meetings and so those south of the closure travelling by car would need to use the diversion route. Pedestrian and cycle access is available past the working area.
The traffic management on this scheme is over and above what we would normally do and as such is a dynamic and evolving situation with tweaks being made where necessary as we progress. We hope you feel that there is an improvement on what you would normally see when Upper Street is closed.
The result of the discussions with Highways has resulted in traffic management on additional roads in the area. These will be closed at one end with a chicane at the other. The chicanes will be manned for the first two weeks. The affected roads are:
• Caring Lane
• Avery Lane
• Horseshoes Lane
• Back Street
• Old Mill Lane
• George Lane
• Burberry Lane
• Broomfield Road
A copy of this map, along with the presentation and notes from the question-and-answer session from the recent meeting, can be found at southeastwater.co.uk/leeds. We will be updating this page frequently as the project progresses.
Who can I contact if I have any queries about these works? If you have any queries during the work, staff on site will be happy to help. Alternatively, if you would like to speak to us directly please call our Customer Technical Centre on 0333 000 1100. A range of special services are available for anyone who requires additional support through our Priority Services Register. More information can be found at: southeastwater.co.uk/priority services
On behalf of South East Water, thank you in advance for your patience and co-operation during these improvement works.
Find out more