By Lynda Myer
As part of the Athlone Main Drainage Scheme, the first underground crossing of the River Shannon has been completed.
September 2023 was the date of commencing tunneling works by Uisce Éireann’s (formerly Irish Water) delivery partner Ward & Burke Construction, whereas there are two more tunneling phases to complete. The scheduled date for starting next phase of tunneling is this week, from Burgess Park to Wolf Tone Terrace, followed by the final phase from Golden Island to Paynes Lane where a receiving shaft has been built and excavation is slated to be finished this summer.
In order to reducing the risk of sewer flooding in the town of Athlone and improving water quality in the River Shannon, Uisce Éireann, in partnership with Westmeath County Council, is installing almost 3km of underground sewer pipes in a €114m project.
Construction of the pumping station at Golden Island is also undergoing , including a 20m-deep shaft.
Also Eunan Canavan, portfolio manager at Uisce Éireann, described the completion of the first tunnel under the River Shannon it is a massive milestone.
“The pumping station construction at Golden Island is also progressing well with work now well underway to sink the walls of the shaft to the correct level, which is a huge 20 meters below ground level. We are on track to have the base and internal walls completed on target. It isn’t very visible to the local community how much progress we are making as so much of this construction work is underground,” he said.
The determined time for completion of Athlone Main Drainage Scheme is last quarter of 2025.
