Partial lane closures to facilitate maintenance works on Derry's Craigavon Bridge

NI Water will commence an essential programme of work in November to safeguard Derry’s water supply for the next 25 years.

The first phase of improvements will see an innovative wrapping system applied to the Strand Road Trunk Main – the large watermain that crosses the Craigavon Bridge on the city side – to strengthen/reinforce the network.

Speaking about the work and the short-term traffic management required, Gary McFadden, NI Water Senior Project Manager said: “The Strand Road Trunk Main is showing early signs of deterioration and to ensure it can continue to serve customers in Derry/Londonderry, a protective wrap will be applied to the pipeline. This new system will protect against corrosion in a marine/saltwater environment and help ensure the future security of the water supply. 

“The process of wrapping the pipe is much less disruptive than replacing the pipe, with only short-term lane closures required to erect and dismantle scaffolding. To allow the wrapping process to get underway, our contractor Farrans-Glanua JV will begin erecting scaffolding on the lower deck of the Craigavon Bridge on Monday, November 10. 

“One lane of the Craigavon Bridge, travelling out of the city towards Bridge Street will be closed during off-peak hours (9.30am – 4.30pm) daily for 2-3 weeks to facilitate this. The upper deck of the bridge will remain open at all times. Once the scaffolding and hoarding is safely in place, the lower deck will be reopened and will remain open until the scaffolding needs to be dismantled. 

“We expect the wrapping and other associated works to take around 10 weeks to complete. The erection of the scaffolding has been programmed to get underway after the city’s annual Halloween festivities and before the busy Christmas period. NI Water and our team from McAdam and Farrans-Glanua JV take this opportunity to thank the public for their patience and cooperation as we work to safeguard the local water supplies.”

Once the Strand Road Trunk Main has been successfully wrapped and protected, a second phase of works will get underway to replace the Corrody to Creggan Trunk Main, located on the opposite side of the bridge. This larger watermain, which supplies drinking water to the Creggan area, has experienced a significant number of bursts in recent times and is currently out of service. 

The replacement of this watermain will safeguard the security of supply to almost 35,000 properties in the city. At this stage, Farrans-Glanua JV hope to be able to carry out the pipeline replacement works from a barge anchored on the river. The new pipeline will also be wrapped to protect against the effects of the marine environment and provide further longevity in the system. 

A lane closure on the lower deck of the Craigavon Bridge will also be required to erect and dismantle the scaffolding required for these works, which are currently scheduled to get underway in spring 2026.

NI Water will provide an update on phase two of these essential works once permits have been received and the work has been fully programmed.

Further information please contact press.office@niwater.com