Eastern Road, Portsmouth Update
Find out more about our work to replace a burst sewer on the Eastern Road and how this may impact you if you're travelling in the area.
Latest update: Monday 2 February
Work to upgrade the sewer beneath Eastern Road is continuing as part of a £3 million investment to protect one of Portsmouth’s most important routes. So far, we’ve successfully lined 1,649 metres of the sewer pipe. We are currently working on reinstating the road.
Progress can be affected by factors such as groundwater levels, access to specialist equipment and the time needed for repairs to cure safely underground. We’re working day and night, with much of it taking place below ground and out of sight.
This essential work follows a series of historic sewer bursts. Relining the sewer will prevent emergency repairs, unplanned road closures and greater disruption in the future.
Eastern Road was closed on 4 January 2026 southbound between Burrfields Road and Hayling Avenue. Work was scheduled to last around eight weeks, subject to conditions, and are going as planned. We fully recognise the impact of the road closure and apologise for the inconvenience.
This scheme forms part of £170 million of investment across Portsmouth to improve the wastewater network and reduce storm overflows – improving the quality of coastal waters. We would like to thank residents and road users for their patience and understanding while these vital works continue.
Your questions answered...
- Drivers can still travel southbound on Eastern Road from the Hayling Avenue junction.
- Southbound drivers on Eastern Road cannot turn left to access Harbourside Park or Miller & Carter Steakhouse. Access to this area is available eastbound via Burrfields Road and northbound via Eastern Road.
- Vehicles will not be able to exit Harbourside Park or Miller & Carter Steakhouse southbound onto Eastern Road.
- The shared footpath and cycle route will be closed from Burrfields Road junction to Sword Sands Road.
- The coastal path will remain open.
Much of the work happens underground and inside confined pipes so our specialist engineering teams may not always be visible. The work is progressing well and nearly half of the sewer has already been repaired. We’re working day and night to complete the project as soon as possible.
The sewer that connects the city to our Budds Farm Wastewater Treatment Works has been in place for decades and it needs relining. If we don’t do this work, the sewer will continue to be at risk of bursts which cause unexpected disruption, road closures and an increased risk of pollution. By relining the sewer, we can prevent future issues and ensure long-term resilience.
Yes. At Portsmouth City Council's request and funded by Southern Water, a shuttle bus operates on Tangier Road for Portsmouth College students, and Stagecoach has put on more services to help offset longer journey times.
Safety must come first. A two way traffic system (allowing alternating southbound and northbound traffic) would require a central safety zone, leaving lanes too narrow for two wide vehicles to pass. On a wind‑exposed stretch of road, that introduces unacceptable collision risk and could cause major disruption if an incident occurred.
When repairs affect a major road like the Eastern Road, local people rightly expect clear and regular updates. Where our communication hasn’t landed as well as it should, we apologise and are learning from this. We’re working closely with Portsmouth City Council and will continue to publish updates on our website to keep residents and visitors informed. We’ve also created a video to explain the project in more detail.
Our teams are already working day and night, including weekends. However, safety has to come first – both for our teams and road users. It’s a complex project that involves specialist engineering and are limited to what can be done safely in confined underground spaces. Some parts of the work, like curing the new lining, simply can’t be rushed.
We’re currently on track to finish the work within eight weeks, as planned. The project involves complex engineering below ground so there is a risk that increased groundwater levels may delay things. We’re working hard to get the Eastern Road back open as quickly and safely as possible.
Previous updates
Work to future-proof Portsmouth's sewer network continues on Eastern Road. So far, 765 metres of sewer have now been successfully repaired, nearly half of the total 1,649 metres being upgraded as part of the £2.5 million project. Repairs are finished across the first four sections of the sewer.
We aim to complete the remaining 884 metres of sewer over four stages. Please note that several factors could impact the timeline for completing repairs, such as:
- high groundwater levels
- access to specialist equipment
- curing time of the repairs.
We know the road closures and traffic delays are disruptive and would like to apologise for the inconvenience this causes. We would like to thank the people of Portsmouth for their patience, understanding and ongoing support while these important works are carried out.
The Eastern Road work started on 10pm Sunday 4 January 2026, and will be closed southbound between the junctions of Burrfields Road and Hayling Avenue for up to 8 weeks.
From 10pm Sunday 4 January 2026, Eastern Road will be closed southbound between the junctions of Burrfields Road and Hayling Avenue for up to 8 weeks.
Please plan your journey and consider alternative routes into the city, as delays will be highly likely at times. Allow extra time when travelling around the area and using the diversion routes.
This southbound closure is essential, as significant excavations are now required to fix the burst sewer main following the findings of the recent site survey.
The long-term £2.5m solution will strengthen Portsmouth’s pipeline, using innovative lining technology to futureproof this section of the city’s sewer network for years to come.
We’re sorry for the inconvenience caused and would like to thank the people of Portsmouth for their ongoing support and understanding.
From Monday 5 January 2026, Eastern Road will be closed southbound between the junctions of Burrfields Road and Hayling Avenue for up to 8 weeks.
Please plan your journey and consider alternative routes into the city, as delays will be highly likely at times. Allow extra time when travelling around the area and using the diversion routes.
This southbound closure is essential, as significant excavations are now required to fix the burst sewer main following the findings of the recent site survey.
The long-term £2.5m solution will strengthen Portsmouth’s pipeline, using innovative lining technology to futureproof this section of the city’s sewer network for years to come.
We’re sorry for the inconvenience caused and would like to thank the people of Portsmouth for their ongoing support and understanding.
Following our site survey, the repair work on the sewer has been rescheduled to early January 2026. This means there will be no daytime lane closures on Eastern Road for the rest of this year.
Between now and Tuesday 23 December, there will be some night works that will require one lane closed southbound between the junction of Tangier Road and Burrfields Road, while minor works are carried out.
From 6am Tuesday 11 November, the shared footpath and cycle route will reopen for the rest of the year. Emergency access to Harbourside Park will be maintained at all times.
We are working closely with Portsmouth City Council and keeping residents and commuters informed to minimise disruption to the local community.
The long-term £2.5m solution will strengthen Portsmouth’s pipeline, using innovative lining technology to futureproof this section of the city’s sewer network for years to come.
We would like to thank the people of Portsmouth for their ongoing support and understanding.
Following the burst sewer pipe on Eastern Road in Portsmouth that occurred on 3 September, our teams need to repair an affected traffic lane and footpath.
Engineers will continue work during the night on this week on Thursday and Friday, starting in the evening around 20:00hrs and finishing in the morning at 05:00hrs.
During the night - Both lanes southbound will be closed between the junctions of Burrfields Road and Tangier Road while the night time work is carried out and diversions will be in place for drivers.
During the day - One lane southbound will remain closed.
Both northbound lanes are unaffected by the current works and will remain open.
The road and footpath repair work are scheduled to be complete on Wednesday 17 September at 05:00hrs and both southbound lanes are then expected to be fully open after the concrete and asphalt has set.
We are also preparing for the repair of the rising main and lining of the sewer pipe to provide a long-term solution. This work is scheduled to start in October.
This gives us time to order the necessary equipment for the replacement and prepare costings. We will need to close one lane southbound to carry out this work when it starts in October.
We are working with Portsmouth City Council and keeping residents updated, in advance of our return to carry out the repair and lining of the rising main.
Following the burst sewer pipe on Eastern Road in Portsmouth that occurred on 3 September, our teams need to repair an affected traffic lane and footpath.
Engineers will continue work during the night on this week on Thursday and Friday, starting in the evening around 20:00hrs and finishing in the morning at 05:00hrs.
During the night - Both lanes southbound will be closed between the junctions of Burrfields Road and Tangier Road while the night time work is carried out and diversions will be in place for drivers.
During the day - One lane southbound will remain open.
The road and footpath repair work are scheduled to be complete on Saturday 13 September at 05:00hrs and both southbound lanes are then expected to be fully open.
We are also preparing for the repair of the rising main and lining of the sewer pipe to provide a long-term solution. This work is scheduled to start in October.
This gives us time to order the necessary equipment for the replacement and prepare costings. We will need to close one lane southbound to carry out this work when it starts in October.
We are working with Portsmouth City Council and keeping residents updated, in advance of our return to carry out the repair and lining of the rising main.
We thank commuters and residents for their continued patience.
There is a burst sewer pipe on the Eastern Road, Portsmouth, that occurred on Wednesday morning, 3 September. This is close to the junction with Burrfields Road.
Both lanes northbound are now fully open and one lane remains open Southbound, as of 07:30hrs Thursday 4 September.
A diversion remains in place for the footpath as this is close to the immediate location of the burst.
We are now preparing for the repair of the rising main and lining of the sewer pipe to provide a long-term solution. We are aiming to start this work in October.
This will give us time to order necessary equipment for the replacement and prepare costings. We will need to close one lane southbound to carry out this work.
The footpath will remain closed for safety reasons until we complete the replacement, diversions are in place during this time.
We are working with Portsmouth City Council and keeping residents updated, in advance of our return to carry out the repair and lining of the rising main.
We thank commuters and residents for their continued patience.
There is a burst sewer pipe on the Eastern Road, Portsmouth, that occurred on Wednesday morning, 3 September. This is close to the junction with Burrfields Road.
Our teams are on site and we have reconfigured our network to manage flows and stop the leak. We are currently planning the best course of action to repair the sewer pipe.
There is currently one lane open Northbound and one lane open Southbound.
Drivers are advised to allow extra travel time due to the traffic management needed to work on the sewer pipe repair.
We apologise to commuters and residents for the inconvenience caused.