Major Wellington road Jervois Quay closes for days for stormwater pipe fix

A sinkhole opened up in February when a 100-year-old stormwater pipe falied. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Wellingtonians are being asked to take alternative transport as crews work to fix a collapsed stormwater pipe.

All six lanes of Wellington's Jervois Quay will be closed from 7pm today to 6am Tuesday to replace a broken 100-year-old stormwater pipe.

Wellington Water development and delivery manager Tonia Haskell said closing the main arterial route will allow six weeks of work to be completed in four days.

Haskell called the roadworks an ambitious task that requires a complete road closure as many different contractors work around the clock.

She said there was a pretty rigorous timetable for the project so they are hoping everything goes to plan for traffic to open again on Tuesday morning.

Wellington City councillor Sean Rush said if more time was needed to finish the project they are able to seal up the road and return it back to a condition that can be used.

Rush said they would then revisit the job at an optimal time such as a weekend.

However, he said they don't think that will need to happen.

Wellington Water has been working with Waka Kotahi NZTA and Wellington City Council to minimise disruption as much as possible Haskell said.

Haskell said people should walk, cycle or use public transport where possible as they are expecting delays in the area.

Issues with the pipe were first highlighted in February when a sinkhole opened up in the road after the pipe collapsed, posing a risk to drivers and increasing the chance of flooding in the city.

Crews filled in the hole and installed a temporary fix, however after months of work to try to repair it without the need to dig a trench the full length of the road, the pipe collapsed further.

This left no choice but to completely replace it.

Signs have been put up throughout the CBD to let Wellingtonians know about the closure.