Burst water main on Queen Edith’s Way

There has been a substantial burst of two different water mains on Queen Edith’s Way. Following a site meeting yesterday at Queen Edith’s Way, between representatives from Cambridge Water and Cambridgeshire County Council, the team have determined that a large amount of repairs are required to the road and footway within Queen Edith’s Way.

Over the next few days, Cambridge Water’s contractors will be assessing the areas surrounding the burst site. This is to determine whether any part of the carriageway has been undermined due to the volume of water lost. They will need to leave the area to settle for a short period to identify any further movement that may require additional repair.

Once Cambridge Water are satisfied that the carriageway is stable and there are no structural or health and safety concerns, they will begin resurfacing works. Approximately 200m² of carriageway and 30m² of footpath have been identified as consequential damage. These areas will be planed off and replaced with a machine-laid tarmac surface.

After resurfacing is complete, the area will undergo an extensive clean-up. However, it is currently anticipated that the road will be able to be re-opened until Wednesday 24th June 2026 at the latest.

There may be periods when no one is working on site. Please be assured this is due to the scale of the damaged area and the need for settlement monitoring and arranging for such a large volume of material to complete this repair to the required standards. This site will be routinely monitored by Cambridge Water staff to ensure it always remains safe and secure.

We had a similar burst on Hills Road near Addenbrookes recently and so I asked what Cambridge Water were doing to ensure that the pipes in the area were sound. They have responded that they are continuously monitoring their pipes for leaks but ‘we sometimes have eruptive burst mains which give us no notice of a leak either though increased distribution input or an increase in a District Metered Areas minimum night flows’.

If you have any concerns, please contact Cambridge Water on 01223 706050.