One of Manchester’s busiest roads is expected to fully reopen this month (June) once repairs to a 40-foot sinkhole have been completed.
In August last year a huge sinkhole opened up on the eastern end of Mancunian Way following heavy rain, causing serious damage to a major sewer. Since then United Utilities has been working at 15-metre depths on a £6 million tunnelling project to lay a new sewer to replace the damaged sections of pipework.
A contraflow section has been in operation on a short section of the road between London Road and Fairfield Road.
Manchester City Council estimates that roadworks will be completed by mid June, allowing both sides of the carriageway to reopen fully.
Nine months on, the new sewer system is up and running and United Utilities is now carrying out some replacement highway drainage work on behalf of Manchester City Council.
When this is complete, the road will be resurfaced and re-opened to traffic.
Tony Griffiths, wastewater network strategy manager at United Utilities, said: “We’re grateful to the public for their patience while we’ve carried out this incredibly challenging project. This has been the biggest emergency repair we have ever undertaken.
“The council has asked us to carry out some additional highway drainage work while we are here on site, to avoid the road having to be closed again later. It’s been a team effort to get Mancunian Way flowing again as quickly as possible.”
Councillor Kate Chappell, executive member for environment for Manchester City Council, added: "This has been an extremely complex engineering problem which has required considerable investment and expertise by United Utilities to resolve. It wasn't simply a case of filling in a hole. We recognise that it has been frustrating for the public at times while this work has been carried out and thank them for bearing with us. While the contraflow has been operating on a section of the road, we have implemented a series of measures to help improve traffic flow and ease congestion but clearly the full re-opening will be very welcome news all round."
The precise date for the reopening of Mancunian Way will be confirmed nearer the time.
