GMC Utilities Group awarded Swords Watermains Replacement contract

GMC Utilities Group Limited awarded the contract for the replacement and rehabilitation of  5km of aging watermains in Swords, County Dublin.

Press release 

Irish Water has signed a contract with GMC Utilities Group to replace 5km of ageing water mains in Swords. The 30” concrete water main was laid in 1970 and will be replaced between Cooks Road and Forest Road south of Swords, along Forest Road to the junction with the Dublin Road / Main Street Swords, then along Main Street and North Street and onwards to Lissenhall, ending near the Swords north M1 motorway junction. Irish Water is investing approximately €9m in this project, which will take almost 2 years to complete. Works are expected to commence in the coming months.

Once replaced, the new water main will greatly improve the reliability of the water supply for homes and businesses in Swords and also to customers in Malahide and Portmarnock served by the Malahide Reservoir. Throughout the project, residents and businesses will be advised of all works in advance and will be given 48 hours’ notice of any planned water shut offs. Every effort will be made by the project team to avoid unplanned bursts to the water supply during the construction of the project.

Irish Water will host a public drop-in information evening, a business information meeting and a briefing for elected representatives in the coming weeks so that the community is kept fully informed about the project. The project team will also work closely with businesses to minimise any potential disruption and work with An Garda Síochána to manage traffic while the works are underway.

During the works it may be necessary to:

• Temporarily shut off water supply to enable connections to be made;
• Restrict access to parking;
• Restrict traffic or close a road for a short time to ensure work is carried out safely;
• From time to time carry out some works in the evening, at night or at weekends.

Commenting on the project, Paul Hickey, Irish Water Regional Lead said “The project to replace this ageing water main in Swords is a priority project for Irish Water. This concrete water main, was laid in 1970 and has had a long history of bursting.  The replacement of the ageing mains forms part of Irish Water’s investment to improve the water infrastructure in the Fingal area. The project will ensure that customers in Swords and in parts of Malahide and Portmarnock will have a more reliable and secure water supply”.