Work has begun to dip up part of a Wiltshire Market Place as the next stage of a major roadworks scheme begins.
Wessex Water first launched its £2 million project to upgrade the water supply in Devizes last August.
This has seen work take place in multiple streets around the town centre, with road closures and temporary traffic lights in place during that time.
On Monday, August 19, the works moved to the town’s Market Place and the north side carriageway of the square has now been blocked off.
READ MORE: Devizes town centre roadworks updated timetable revealed
Several car parking spaces are also out of action at the time of writing as crews continue to new plastic water mains to replace existing ageing cast-iron pipes.
Work in the Market Place is expected to continue for around 10 weeks and should be finished by the end of October.
This is the start of a new stage of the project’s middle phase, which began in March and more recently saw two-way traffic lights on Market Place and New Park Street.
The middle phase overall is expected to be completed by March next year.
Wessex Water hopes to reduce disruption in the Market Place by working on small areas one after the other, meaning only a few parking spaces will be lost at the same time.
A one-way system will be in place through the Market Place to allow traffic to continue flowing.
Wessex Water also insists that Thursday market days will be unaffected by the works, with the construction team carrying out light tasks without heavy machinery on these days to avoid disruption.
Cllr Iain Wallis has told residents that in the event market stalls cannot be fully retained, closure orders have been obtained for Wine Street and High Street to allow the market to be held there.
Some evening work will also take place to ensure businesses can operate during their normal working hours.
Project manager Louie Cosentino said: “From the very start of this project, we’ve been working closely with local customers and businesses to balance the need to complete this essential main replacement with our determination to minimise disruption for local people as much as possible.
“This will continue in Market Place and by splitting up our work into smaller sub-sections we can ensure the area is still accessible for parking and through traffic and for access to local shops and businesses.”
Once the Market Place stage of the project is completed, Wessex Water will move on to Wine Street and High Street until December.
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