Scottish Water has completed a major £2.5 million project to tackle frequent flooding on the A8 trunk road through Inverclyde.
Photo: The new screened CSO has been built underneath
Inverclyde Council's Pottery Street depot
East Hamilton Street in Greenock – which runs parallel to the River Clyde past the James Watt Dock - has been prone to localised floods for many years.
A new screened Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) will now divert excess water through a culvert into the nearby Lady Burn during periods of extreme heavy rain.
Work on constructing the new CSO in the grounds of Inverclyde Council’s Pottery Street roads depot began in January 2023.
Six months later, the project moved onto the A8 itself, working in either carriageway and across the central reservation to move other services and install and connect the new upgraded sewer.
Photo: The sewer network under the A8 has been upgraded
Steven Greenhill, Scottish Water’s Alliance Management Team Manager said:
“This project has been many years in planning and development, and I am delighted to see it completed.
“As well as installing larger pipework under the A8 to connect to the new CSO we have also relined nearly one hundred metres of sewer, effectively installing a new pipe within the old.
“While we cannot say the road will never flood again, it will happen significantly less often and drain significantly faster when it does.”
The project has been delivered by Scottish Water’s alliance partner Caledonia Water Alliance. Tens of thousands of vehicles use the A8 road every day, so a series of contraflows were employed to keep the traffic moving throughout the eight months of carriageway work.
Paul Milligan, CWA’s Communication Manager added:
“The site team has worked extremely hard throughout the winter months to deliver a major sewer infrastructure upgrade to protect this vital road from flooding.
“They have battled the elements – including at least one flash flood –and we are delighted to be able to open the road and get the A8 fully flowing.”
Stuart McMillan MSP said:
“I want to thank Scottish Water for undertaking this work and am delighted this has now been completed.
“Flooding on the A8 has been a problem for decades and with climate change we will have more wet weather to deal with.
“When I started campaigning to get investment along the A8 in 2009, I was determined to see investment. It has been a long journey to get to this point, but I am delighted this has happened. It will make a positive difference and hopefully flooding in this area will be less severe than what we have endured.
“This is a substantial investment and I want to recognise Scottish Water for it.”
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