This Sunday (15) sees the commencement of a major upgrade to the water supply pipeline on Shedden Road in George Town, says the Water Authority (WA).

Large sections of Shedden Road will be closed to traffic at night and WA said their crews will be starting the work between Dr Roys Drive and Harbour Drive as well as a small section at the Elgin Avenue junction.

The current 8in. dia pipeline will be replaced with 12in. dia. pipes to increase the capacity of the system and improve reliability.

“The main pipeline that runs along Shedden Road was installed in the late 1980’s and since that time the demand for water has increased significantly,” said Tom van Zanten, Deputy Director of the Water Authority. “The water distribution system has seen tremendous growth over the past twenty years and the 8-inch pipe has become insufficient to deliver water efficiently and reliably.”

The upgrade works is expected to continue for a period of around three months but will be carried out in sections to minimise the inconvenience to businesses, residences, motorists and pedestrians. The Water Authority also said it had taken steps to ensure that service to customers in the area is not affected.

“For each section we work on, a temporary pipeline will be installed to ensure that water service to our customers in the immediate area is not interrupted while the main pipeline is out of service,” said Larry Washburn, Operations Manager. “We will also backfill the trenches at the end of each shift as a safety measure. In order to minimise the inconvenience to the motoring public, the Water Authority will perform most if not all of the upgrade work at night, between the hours of 10pm and 6am,” added Washburn.

During the pipelaying work the affected section of Shedden Road will be completely closed for normal traffic with access only available to residents. All motorists will be required to use alternate routes. Traffic flow will be facilitated at either end using temporary traffic signals or flags.

The Shedden Road pipeline replacement project is part of the Water Authority’s ten-year capital plan to expand and upgrade its water and wastewater infrastructure, officials stated in a release Tuesday.

For more information on the Water Authority and their role in the Cayman Islands, please visit www.waterauthority.ky