A MULTI-million-pound sewer project in Renfrew is set to begin.

Scottish Water has said the first phase of a more than £10million investment to upgrade the main sewer running between Renfrew and the Shieldhall wastewater treatment works is about to get underway.

Work to construct a temporary overland pipeline along 840 metres of King's Inch Road will begin from Monday, February 5.

Meanwhile, heras fencing will be laid out along the route between Ferry Road and Crofton Way and from the middle of next month the adjacent westbound carriageway will be reduced to one lane.

Georgina Reid, Scottish Water’s corporate affairs manager in the west said: “This will be the first opportunity to appreciate the sheer scale of the project and what it will achieve.

“The temporary pipe will run for over half a mile, carrying the full pressurised flows of wastewater allowing our engineers to reline the existing underground pipe.

“The technique effectively delivers a brand new pipe within the old pipe, all but eliminating the chance of it bursting along its relined length.

“A lot of work has been going on behind the scenes to deliver a project on this scale in such a short period of time, so it is great to see work on the ground getting underway."

The temporary pipeline is expected to be operational by the end of April when the pressurised wastewater flows from the Renfrew pumping station will be switched over.

Access pits at strategic points along the route of the existing sewer will then be excavated and the lining material fed down and drawn through the centre of the pipe.

Meanwhile, temporary walkway bridges across the overland pipeline will be situated at various locations to allow people to safely cross the road.

Georgina added: “It was clear this section of the network was particularly vulnerable and repeated repairs were causing disruption and inconvenience for our customers.

“This first phase deals with the most burst-prone section of the sewer and we are also developing plans to upgrade the upstream and downstream sections.

“We are committing one of our biggest single sewer upgrade investments in the west to provide peace of mind to residents, road users and customers and protect the environment.”

The first phase of the work is expected to be completed by November 2024.