Jessie Street and Tory Street Wastewater Realignment

The wastewater improvement work on Jessie and Tory St is progressing well with both new manholes installed, and most pipework completed.

Our contractor has worked hard around the clock to complete this work as efficient as possible to minimise the period of disruption to residents, businesses and traffic in the city. The trench was temporarily reinstated so the road could reopen over the weekend and work has resumed this morning to complete the pipework installation and quality testing, after which the road will be fully reinstated and finishing up works will take place on Jessie Street.

Wellington Water is undertaking essential work on behalf of Wellington City Council to realign a wastewater pipe that is wrongly connected to the stormwater system. Work started yesterday, 23 June, and is expected to take three weeks in total.

Our records show this pipe was installed back in 1897. Correcting this issue is critical, as stormwater discharges directly to sea, and wastewater pipes connected to the stormwater network pose a significant environmental risk.

This work will require digging a trench from Jessie Street into Tory Street, realigning the pipe so it correctly connects into the wastewater main, and installing new manholes, while avoiding other critical underground services such as electrical and telecommunications lines.

To reduce prolonged disruption to residents, pedestrians, and traffic, Wellington Water and Wellington City Council agreed on a concentrated two-week schedule with contractors working 24hrs/day on weekdays for two weeks to complete the Tory Street side of the work, followed by another week of day shift only to finish off the work on Jessie Street.

As from Monday 23 June to Friday 4 July:

• The intersection of Jessie Street and Tory Street is completely closed to traffic. Once work on Tory Street is completed, the intersection with Tory Street will be re-opened.
• Signage has been set up to direct vehicles to detour around this intersection
• Jessie Street is closed to vehicles except for residents, who will need to enter/exit at Taranaki Street
• Pedestrian access and courier deliveries/pickups remain unaffected, however, some workarounds may be necessary.

All footpaths and shops remain open and accessible.

Once work on Tory Street is completed, the intersection with Tory Street will be re-opened. Jessie Street will remain closed except to residents while the remaining work is completed for about another week.

Completing this work will protect our harbour from contamination by untreated wastewater and increase the resilience of our water network. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.

Should residents wish to be kept informed of progress or changes to the planned work then do opt in to receive our updates by emailing engagement@wellingtonwater.co.nz with “Jessie Street” in the subject line.