Traffic disruptions ‘unavoidable’ in £1.8m project to future-proof sewage infrastructure, Govt says

A £1.88m project to future-proof Gibraltar’s critical sewage infrastructure will result in traffic diversions in the South District over the next 12 weeks starting this Saturday.

The need for this project is two-fold. With the local population increasing, this has seen the Bayside pumping station at full capacity. In parallel, current ageing infrastructure needs to be updated.

The project will ensure that Gibraltar’s sewage infrastructure can meet future needs.

The Eastside Sewage Transfer Scheme will see six phases of works stretching across Gibraltar in different phases.

Contractor GJBS will begin Phase 4 this Saturday, which is expected to take a year to complete.

Phase 4 is divided into eight smaller stages with 808m of dual pipes from Saluting Battery through to Rosia Parade to be laid.

The Transport Road section which begins this Saturday is due to last around 12 weeks and involves the installation of 98 metres of pipe at an average depth of 2.4 metres.

The Government said that further works and traffic arrangements for the other sections will be announced at the appropriate time.

At a press conference at No.6 Convent Place, Minister for Transport Dr John Cortes told journalists the works have already started on Phase 1 of the scheme at Devils Tower Road, albeit with less impact on traffic.

Dr Cortes was flanked by Transport Ministry Private Secretary Stewart Harrison, Senior Civil Engineer Nigel Xerri and Bus Manager Nico Mauro.

“There is a lot of concern regularly expressed in Gibraltar about the fact that our sewage system is old and needs upgrading,” Dr Cortes said.

“New developments are having to happen as our population increases.”

“We have Hassan Centenary Terraces which is setting up a new nucleus of residential area. When you add it to Beach View and the rest that's happening in the northeast of Gibraltar, obviously we are going to ensure that our sewage system is up for it.”

Works have also commenced to upgrade the sewage pumping station in Eastside Kingsway roundabout area, which will alleviate pressure on the Bayside pumping station.

Mr Xerri underscored the crucial nature of these projects as the local population continues to increase.

“This is critical infrastructure for Gibraltar,” Mr Xerri said.

“We want to keep developing Devil’s Towers Road, we've got developments that are ongoing at the moment and new ones that have been proposed.”

“We've got Hassan Centenary Terraces Phase 2 which has already been handed over and we've got the first flows there [and] it's only going to increase the more and more people move in.”

“The eastside development is a huge project. In a nutshell this is a critical infrastructure project.”

The pipes, 450mm and 355mm in diameter, are quite substantial and need to be placed deep in the ground.

“We cannot compromise safety and unfortunately, as much as I get annoyed myself when there are traffic disruptions, we all agree that safety comes first and we need to make sure that the contractor can work safely,” Mr Xerri said.

He added that with the Bayside pumping station at capacity, Gibraltar cannot continue connecting new developments to the current sewage system.

Dr Cortes explained that the improved infrastructure will mean that, instead of sewage being channelled through town, some will be fed to the east into the new system.

This will reduce the pressure on the town area and the new developments such as Chatham Views on the westside.

“We’re thinking about the future and we’re inconveniencing some people in the present but that’s just unavoidable,” Dr Cortes said.

Dr Cortes added that the current system would not be able to cope with the further capacity needed to service the new developments.

TRAFFIC DIVERSIONS

Mr Harrison announced a series of traffic and parking changes affecting the Rosia area.

Traffic will essentially be reversed due to the closure of Transport Road.

Traffic coming down South Pavilion Road will continue towards Rosia Road and Rosia Bay, while vehicles travelling up Cumberland Road will not be able to continue towards Rosia Bay.

Traffic from Nelson’s View and Rosia Bay will be diverted along Rosia Road.

Adjustments will also be made at the Both Worlds traffic lights to ease flow and improve bus schedules.

Parking will also be affected, with a temporary loss of spaces along Transport Road, parts of Rosia Road opposite Cumberland Road, and five bays near Bayview and the Clock Tower to accommodate a temporary bus stop.

On October 4, short-term restrictions will be introduced to allow vehicles to be reoriented in line with the new traffic flow.

By Both Worlds, the distance between the traffic lights has been shortened to reduce waiting times.

BUS SERVICES

Temporary bus stops will operate at Bayview Terraces and Rosia Plaza.

Route 4 will be suspended during the works.

Routes 3, 8 and 9 will be modified, with improved frequency on Routes 8 and 9.

Mr Mauro said various bus stops will not be serviced on routes 3 and 9, and this will be reflected on the bus tracker.

In turn, route 8 leaving Both Worlds will become more frequent with buses every 15 minutes rather than every 30 minutes.

Route 9 will depart from Bayview Terraces instead of Rosia and will be more frequent, departing every 20 minutes.

The Government said further works and traffic arrangements for the other sections will be announced at the appropriate time and thanked the public for its cooperation.