Road closures in place to facilitate problematic water mains upgrade in Ratoath

A road closure on a section of the R155 between the Emerald Park Roundabout and Curragha Crossroads commenced this week and is due to be in place until 8th May to facilitate works on the replacement of the problematic water mains feeding Ratoath village.

There had been regular outages in the Ratoath and Ashbourne areas over the past two years due to the ageing water pipe as well as cacacity issues at the Windmill Hill Reservoir and a major upgrade of the water infrastructure is now under way by Uisce Éireann.

Uisce Éireann East Meath’s Windmill Hill Reservoir & Trunk Watermain to Ratoath Project will increase storage capacity significantly at Windmill Hill Reservoir and replace the existing watermain between the Reservoir and Ratoath Village.

This project involves replacing over 7km of problematic, old watermains to Ratoath that are prone to frequent bursts and cause water supply disruptions for customers in Ratoath, Kilbride and Ashbourne.

According to Irish Water, the new watermains will also address low water pressure particularly in Ratoath, during periods of peak demand.

The project is being delivered by Shareridge Ltd on behalf of Uisce Éireann and Meath County Council.

The road closure is in place now until Monday 8th May to facilitate the work. Pipelaying works are beginning at the Emerald Park Roundabout (formally Tayto Park) and will then progress along the R155 towards Curraha.

During this period a signed traffic diversion route from the R155/Skryne road junction to the Emerald Park roundabout will be in place via Ashbourne. Local and emergency access will be maintained throughout the works for all residents and businesses.

Speaking about the works, William McKnight, Programme Manager with Uisce Éireann, said, “We are now commencing the next phase of this vital project that will provide a more reliable water supply for existing homes and businesses in Ratoath, Kilbride and Ashbourne. The project will also support social and economic growth and development in areas which have seen significant growth in recent years."

Pat Wickham, Senior Executive Engineer with Meath County Council, speaking about the traffic management measures said, “This phase will require a significant traffic management plan, on the R155 towards Curragha. This is necessary for us to safely deliver this essential project. We would like to thank the local community, businesses and representative groups who have worked with us throughout this project and thank them for their patience as we progress into this phase”.

The project includes the construction of an elevated 4.7 million litre treated water storage reservoir and secondary disinfection system adjacent to the existing Windmill Hill reservoir. Works are scheduled to be completed at the end of 2024. Uisce Éireann and Meath County Council say they will continue to update the local community as works progress.