Busy Inverness road still closed to traffic during rush hour following water main burst, confirms Scottish Water
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A busy Inverness road remained closed to traffic on Monday morning after a burst water main caused chaos at the weekend.
Scottish Water completed its repairs on the pipe by 8pm on Sunday evening, but "road closed" signs and cordoned off fencing in the road were still visible at its junction with the Millburn Road roundabout at 7.30am on Monday.
It is not clear when the road will reopen but Scottish Water last night warned that it expected the route to "remain closed on Monday", and advised motorists of likely delays during rush hour.
In a statement on Sunday night, Scottish Water confirmed that it had completed its repairs to the damaged nine-inch pipe.
"Our teams have worked tirelessly to repair the burst main in a challenging location but we’re pleased to say that the repair is now successfully complete," a spokesman said at 8pm.
Related: Inverness road to remain closed due to burst water main
Related: Burst water main means Inverness road closed until Monday
But they added: "A full-road closure remains in place until the area has been fully reinstated. We expect the road to remain closed on Monday which may cause delays for commuters in the area and we ask all road-users to plan ahead when travelling."
The problems first emerged on Saturday when some customers in the IV1 and IV2 areas experienced a loss of water supply.
Upon investigation, the burst main was located close to the railway level crossing on Harbour Road.
This proximity to the rail network and busy Millburn Road roundabout made repairs "more challenging than first anticipated".
"Thorough planning was required before work could commence and we discussed with Network Rail and Highland Council on how we effect a repair as quickly as possible whilst ensuring the safety of our teams and minimising impact to our customers," explained Scottish Water.
"We’d like to apologise to all those affected by the diversion routes and would like to reassure customers we are working as quickly as possible to re-open the road."
