Tay Street Now Fully Reopen as Scottish Water Completes 'Super Sewer' Project in Perth

“This has been a major piece of work that was essential to modernise Perth’s ageing sewer system and futureproof it for the years ahead.

"While the disruption was significant – particularly for residents and businesses – I’d like to thank Scottish Water for their engagement with the local community and elected members throughout.
”

Chris Ahern
Perth City Centre ward Councillor

Tay Street in Perth has now fully reopened to traffic following the successful completion of Scottish Water’s major ‘super sewer’ project in the heart of the city.

The £23million investment has seen 520 metres of sewer beneath Tay Street and Shore Road replaced with a 2.2m diameter pipe – a significant upgrade that will help protect areas of Perth from sewer flooding, while accommodating future growth in the Fair City.

This major project – which forms part of over £100million of investment in Perth by the publicly-owned utility – was handed over to Perth & Kinross Council at the start of June for final resurfacing and reinstatement works to be carried out.

Scottish Water’s Senior Project Manager, David Lavery, said: “We’re very pleased to confirm that all works are now complete and Tay Street has fully reopened.

“This has been a complex project in a very busy area of the city, and we’re incredibly grateful to local businesses, residents, road users and visitors for their patience over the last two years.

“The new sewer beneath Tay Street and Shore Road is designed to serve Perth for decades to come, with this new pipe being four times the size of what was originally there.”

To allow the new sewer to be installed safely and effectively, traffic restrictions were in place since May 2023, including road closures and a temporary over-pumping system to keep the city’s waste water flowing.

Councillor Chris Ahern welcomed the reopening, he said: “This has been a major piece of work that was essential to modernise Perth’s ageing sewer system and futureproof it for the years ahead.

“While the disruption was significant – particularly for residents and businesses – I’d like to thank Scottish Water for their engagement with the local community and elected members throughout.

“With Tay Street and Shore Road now fully reopened, Perth can get back to normal – and we’ll soon see the benefits of this vital infrastructure upgrade.”

Councillor Eric Drysdale, Perth and Kinross Council’s Convener of Economy and Infrastructure said: “This has been a major project to improve the waste water network in Perth and provide reassurance to residents and businesses in the city centre.

“I am very pleased to see Tay Street and its neighbouring roads now fully reinstated and open as normal.”

Scottish Water continues to deliver essential upgrades to water and waste water infrastructure across Perth, with work ongoing at other key sites as part of the city-wide improvement programme.