A major milestone has been achieved with the completion of the ‘make under’ stage of the Bath Street Pipe Upgrade, as the essential below-ground pipe replacement work has been completed.
The project to replace degraded underground pipes dating back to 1887 got underway in Bath Street, and in lower Stuart Street between Moray Place and the Octagon, in May 2024.
With the underground work completed, the project focus now moves to above-ground works – the ‘makeover’ stage – to refresh the road surface and make the area more pedestrian-friendly.
“Thank you to the community and to residents and businesses in the area for your patience and understanding while this important and challenging utilities work has been completed,” DCC Senior Project Manager Transport, Susil Gunathilake says. “The pipe replacements future-proof our water, stormwater and sewer pipelines in the area for at least the next century, which is a wonderful outcome for the city and the community.
“The work has involved several major activities such as the excavation of a ‘big hole’ five metres deep at the Stuart and Bath Street intersection and connecting to the historic brick barrel main at Moray Place. The team also navigated and connected a complicated ‘spaghetti junction’ of utilities in Bath Street, and reinforced a building at 326 Moray Place to bring a digger inside and excavate pipes three metres beneath its floor.
“The last major aspect of the underground works involved decommissioning and grouting the old watercourse pipe. It was the failure of this pipe that prompted us to undertake the upgrade in the first place, after part of it collapsed and created a sinkhole. We’ve essentially filled the pipe to ensure it stays solid and stable, preventing another collapse in the future.”
Archaeologists were on-site throughout the project as the excavations revealed fascinating glimpses into the city’s past. Artefacts uncovered included shoes, a 19th century ‘health bitters’ bottle, ink pots, wooden steps and some brick and bluestone foundations that belonged to horse stables on Bath Street.
The DCC and contractor Downer have worked hard to minimise disruption to local residents, businesses and the wider community during the upgrade, and this will continue to be a focus for the project team moving into the final stage of the works.
The ‘makeover’ above ground involves complex streetscaping works to improve the surface of Bath Street, and will include additional pedestrian and shared spaces similar to those on George Street.
Work has begun to construct footpaths and drainage on the harbour side of the street, which will then be followed by the same on the Octagon side of the street.
“Short of closing the street completely, this approach allows us to pour as much concrete as possible at one time,” explains Downer Project Manager, Scott Reid. “Multiple pours in small sections require many disruptive truck movements and extended times for drying – so completing the work end-to-end as much as possible significantly reduces the timeframe required.”
Once this work is completed, there will be three further stages – paving, utility upgrades (such as lighting), and road surface construction.
“We’re on track to have the street finished on schedule in October, so we’re getting very close to the end now. We’re grateful to residents, businesses and patrons for their understanding, as we focus on finishing the work as quickly and efficiently as possible.”