Over 3km of problematic water mains to be replaced in Kilkenny - road diversions planned

Securing the water supply in Kilkenny remains a top priority for Irish Water as works to drive down leakage and improve the water supply to homes and businesses in Stoneyford get underway this week.

The project is being delivered as part of Irish Water’s national Leakage Reduction Programme which is delivering significant benefits to local communities across Ireland including improved water quality, a more secure water supply and considerable water savings.

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Working in partnership with Kilkenny County Council, Irish Water is replacing approximately 3km of old and problematic watermains in Norelands, Stoneyford, representing a significant step and investment in reducing disruption from bursts and outages which have been affecting homes and businesses in the area. 

The works, which are being carried out by Shareridge Civil Engineering on behalf of Irish Water, will take place along a 3km stretch of the Norelands Road (L4202), between the R713 and the R700, Bennettsbridge to Thomastown Road, and are expected to be completed by late February 2023.

To facilitate the safe delivery of these works some traffic management will be in place, however, local and emergency access will be maintained at all times.

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A road closure will be in place along is required along the Norelands Road (L4202) from Thursday 1st December 2022 to Thursday 22nd December 2022. Following a break in works over Christmas the same road closure will be reinstated from Monday 9th January to late-February. 

The suggested diversion route for eastbound traffic is via (L4206) Stoneyford to Thomastown Road southbound to the R488, continuing eastbound to Thomastown before taking the R700 northbound, via Lady’s Well St., towards Bennettsbridge.

Highlighting the importance of this upgrade and others in the area, Joe Carroll, Leakage Reduction Programme Regional Lead at Irish Water, said, “We are delighted to be making significant progress with essential upgrades to the water supply for Kilkenny. Earlier this year, we replaced almost 1.4km of aged cast iron water mains with new modern pipes in nearby Knocktopher village and we are looking forward to completing another essential project for the people of Kilkenny.

“To facilitate the safe delivery of the upgrades, some traffic management will be in place, however, local and emergency access will be maintained at all times. Works will be limited to short sections to minimise any impact on customers.  During this project there may be some short-term water outages and the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours’ notice before any planned water outages.”

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The works also involve laying new water service connections from the public water main in the road to customers’ property boundaries and connecting it to the customers’ water supply.

Irish Water would like to thank the local community in Stoneyford in advance for their patience and cooperation while we complete these essential upgrade works. 

The works are being delivered as part of Irish Water’s National Leakage Reduction Programme which will deliver significant benefits to the local community including a more secure water supply and considerable water savings.

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The programme adopts a strategic and targeted approach to improving the water network across Ireland, through the delivery of a number of leakage reduction work streams, prioritising investment where it is needed most, and providing proactive solutions to local water supply issues.