The tunnelling project under the Mancunian Way was required after the sinkhole emerged large August after heavy rain. The original 100-year old sewer burst under the weight of the excess stormwater, creating a 14m-deep crater on the busy road. After further investigation the utility had no option but to construct an entirely new 130m-long sewer to replace the damaged section.
Work has now been completed and Mancunian Way will fully re-open on Wednesday 15 June at 6am.
The project is the biggest emergency sewer repair that UU has ever undertaken. It has involved the excavation of 10,400 tonnes of sandstone. Three of the largest mobile pumps in the UK have been used to move 500 litres of wastewater a second past the roadworks, with the equivalent of 3,992 Olympic-sized swimming pools of sewage moved in total.
As a final step before the reopening, the whole of the Mancunian Way will need to be closed on Monday 13 and Tuesday 14 June for its annual maintenance inspection and to remove the contraflow system and repaint road markings.
Councillor Kate Chappell, executive member for environment for Manchester City Council, said: “It’s great news that we have got a date for the reopening. We’d like to thank the public for bearing with us during this challenging work.
“As the damage affected a major sewer there was no alternative but for United Utilities to carry out this complex large-scale repair deep underground otherwise large parts of East Manchester would have been left without a functioning sewage system.
“It’s great news that United Utilities have carried out this difficult repair without disruption to the water and sewage network and we appreciate all their hard work.”