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Greater Western Water (GWW) has finished constructing a new sewer in Elizabeth Street in Melbourne’s CBD. Its completion marks another significant milestone in the ongoing upgrades to Melbourne's sewer network.
The project, which involved the installation of a new 730-metre-long sewer, is the third stage of a four-stage upgrade that future-proofs this essential infrastructure to support Melbourne’s growing population.
The new sewer line, which runs underneath Elizabeth Street, will improve the capacity of Melbourne’s sewerage network, which was originally constructed over 120 years ago to support a population of 1.5 million. Now, with Greater Melbourne's population at over 5 million, this crucial upgrade will meet the city's growing needs for generations to come.
GWW's General Manager of Growth and Infrastructure, Ian Burton, said that upgrading complex infrastructure beneath Melbourne’s busy and dynamic city centre comes with unique challenges.
"Working in a high-density environment, navigating the city’s network of underground infrastructure and utility assets, operating near tram lines and coordinating with other major construction projects in the CBD, means projects like these can be complex to carry out.
"We want to thank everyone who lives, works and visits the Elizabeth Street precinct for their patience and understanding during these works, as well as all stakeholders who collaborated with us throughout this critical project," he said.
GWW partnered with Rob Carr to deliver this project, which began construction in February 2023. All construction sites along Elizabeth Street have now been fully restored, and the road is open to traffic again.
The Elizabeth Street sewer project follows the completion of two sewers under Spencer and Lonsdale Streets, which now link with the new Elizabeth Street sewer. The final phase of the CBD upgrade will see a new sewer constructed along Siddeley Street in Docklands.
