Eastern Road: Southern Water reopens Portsmouth road as major sewerage repairs completed

AA's live traffic map shows that Eastern Road has opened following Southern Water's announcement that it would do so at 4.00am this morning. It also shows that traffic remains slow in parts of the road.

Eastern Road was supposed to open on Saturday, March 23 but due to 'unforeseen' circumstances it remained closed throughout the entire weekend. The delay was a result of the 'replacement of a sewer pipe collar'. A statement was released by Southern Water on Saturday saying: "The re-lining work of the 300-metre-long sewer is taking longer than anticipated due to unforeseen circumstances. Our teams are working throughout the day and night this weekend, to complete the repair as quickly as possible.

"This will delay the reopening of the Eastern Road, which is now scheduled for Monday 25 March. We apologise for the disruption this will cause residents, businesses and commuters. The work, which is part of a £1 million solution, is being taken now to avoid more challenging times in the future.”

Despite the road being expected to re-open yesterday (March 25), Southern Water then confirmed that it would remain closed whilst the resurfacing set.

A Southern Water spokesperson said: “Eastern Road southbound reopens 4am Tuesday 26 March 2024. The cycle and foot path has already reopened.”

"The re-lining work of the 300-metre-long sewer is nearing completion. The final stage before the road can be reopened safely is to resurface the excavations. These will be left to set before and road sweepers clean the road.

 “We apologise for the disruption this work has caused residents, businesses and commuters. The work, which is part of a £1 million solution, is being taken now to avoid more challenging times in the future.”

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