Final Push Towards Peace of Mind for Renfrew Residents

“The approach we have taken significantly reduces impact to the community and road users. It also reduces the delivery cost, and those savings are used to provide further infrastructure benefits across Scotland”

Robert Archer
Scottish Water Alliance Manager

Work on the third phase of a £16million project to upgrade a strategic rising sewer main carrying waste water from Renfrew for treatment in Glasgow is getting underway.

Scottish Water took the decision to accelerate the design and delivery of this major infrastructure project following multiple bursts over recent years.

Nearly a mile of pipe has already been relined from North Lodge pumping station and along King’s Inch Road in Renfrew since work began in February 2024.

Work has now begun to build a temporary overland pipeline to allow the underground pipe running between Crofton Way and Laymoor Avenue to be upgraded.

Scottish Water Alliance Manager Robert Archer said: “Rising main failures are unpredictable and disruptive, and have a significant impact on the community, the local economy and the local environment.

“We recognised the poor condition of the pipe had to be addressed as a matter of urgency and we took the step to accelerate delivery of this major project in a matter of months.

“This required a huge amount of co-operation and co-ordination between a range of agencies, including the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), other utilities and of course the local authority who grant permissions for road closures and traffic management.

“Local stakeholders played a crucial part in preparing for the project, making us aware of potential issues and helping to keep the local community fully informed.

“The work itself has been challenging, particularly with poor ground conditions, but once completed the upgrade will ensure the pipe is fit for the future.

“While we had planned to complete this phase of the project by Christmas, early spring next year is more realistic, however we hope most people will appreciate a few months slippage is a small price to pay for long-term peace of mind.”

Once the temporary pipeline has been installed between Crofton Way and Laymoor Avenue, it will carry the pressurised waste water flows while the new liner is fed into the underground pipe through access pits.

Relining is a specialised technique which enables renewal of the existing sewer pipe with a new inner wall.

Robert Archer added: “The new lining is an innovative way of making the pipe ‘like new’ and prolonging the working life of the sewer.

“We chose this proven technique to avoid digging up the entire length of King’s Inch Road which is congested with numerous utilities.

“The approach we've taken significantly reduces impact to the community and road users. It also reduces the delivery cost, and those savings are used to provide further infrastructure benefits across Scotland.

“We are committed to working with the local community and we are extremely grateful for their continued patience and understanding.”

Scottish Water is investing record levels – around a billion pounds a year – to repair, renew and replace vital assets.