A MAJOR water mains replacement project is to begin in Fenit village this month. Irish Water have announced plans to replace three kilometres of “old, damaged’ mains on a stretch of the main R558 Tralee Fenit road.
he works – which are expected to take about five months complete – will take place between the Talaught Road Junction on the eastern outskirts of Fenit and continue through the village to the Wild Water Adventures complex near the pier.
Works will also take place on a number of local roads in the area including: Talaught Lane, Island View, Castleview and the Main Road from its junction with R558 to its junction with Island Road before continuing south towards Fenit Strand.
Ward and Burke Construction have been contracted to carry out the works which will begin in the coming days and are due to be completed by the end of June.
Irish Water said that the works “may” involve some short-term water outages but assured residents and businesses in the affected areas that the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours’ notice prior to any planned water shut-offs.
There will also be some short-term local road closures and traffic management in place during the works to ensure the projects safe completion.
“Uisce Éireann understands that this type of work can be inconvenient and work crews will make every effort to minimise any disruption these works cause,” said a spokesperson for the water utility.
In addition to laying the new mains the planned works will also involve laying new water service connections from the public water main in the road to customers’ property boundaries and then connecting it to the customer’s water supply. Where the existing service connections on the public side are lead these are being replaced.
“We would like to thank customers in advance for their cooperation and patience while we complete this essential project, ”said Steven Blennerhassett of Irish Water.
In late 2022, we also replaced just over 1km of old water mains in Kilfenora, Fenit. With another 3km of water mains now to be replaced, the people of Fenit will have a more reliable water supply for years to come”.
“The replacement of these old pipes will have a positive impact on the daily lives of the local community. Operational and maintenance costs will also be reduced as the network operation will require less maintenance,” Mr Blennerhassett said.
Customers can phone Uisce Éireann on 1800 278 278 if they have any questions about the project or log on to the Water Supply Updates section of the Irish Water website which will contain regular updates on the progress of the works.
