Once in a 100-year water upgrade complete on Swanston Street

Greater Western Water (GWW) has completed vital upgrades to an almost 100-year-old water main on one of Melbourne’s busiest streets.

The project involved upgrading 250 metres of water main along Swanston Street in Melbourne’s CBD to meet the growing demand of our city for years to come.

GWW worked closely with the Metro Tunnel Project, Cross Yarra Partnership and City of Melbourne to coordinate works with the construction of the new Town Hall Station, and manage impacts to nearby residents and businesses, and city visitors.

GWW's General Manager for Growth and Infrastructure, Ian Burton, said that delivering the upgrade now reduces the need for works when Town Hall Station opens.

"Our pipes are built to last about 100 years and this water main, which was built in 1928, was in need of a vital upgrade to serve Melbourne’s growing population.

"We always do our best to minimise disruptions to the communities we work in and that's why we've collaborated with other major projects in the area to coordinate works at the same time, limit the impacts and protect the city's heritage," he said.

Completing the works alongside other construction in the area reduces the need to disturb heritage assets such as blue stone pavements and curbs again in the future, and reduces the amount of time this part of the CBD experiences disruptions due to construction activities.

Melbourne's underground infrastructure is complex and building new pipes requires careful planning to minimise disruption to other assets and services.

GWW's delivery partner for this project, AquaMetro, used techniques to reduce the work's impacts on nearby trees and allow for pedestrian access. This included using slip-lining and pipe-bursting methods, which meant they didn't have to dig many trenches to complete the works.

These vital Swanston Street water works are now complete

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