A major route has finally reopened after emergency sewer repairs, but drivers are set to face more closures next week.
Southern Water confirmed the works near the Westgate Towers in Canterbury have been completed following the sudden closure.
But St Peter’s Place will be shut to traffic travelling to Rheims Way on weekdays during the daytime next week, while rehearsals take place for a city-wide festival.
Canterbury Unlocked, which will mark the completion of a major £22 million project, will also see the route closed in both directions at the weekend.
The road surrounding the historic towers has been shut since April 23 after contractors discovered holes in a sewer and part of the ground underneath the surface washed away, prompting fears the carriageway could collapse.
The closure, which came just weeks after the completion of a nine-month scheme creating a new plaza and road surface at the Westgate Towers, has led to delays on surrounding routes as drivers attempt to enter the city.
A Southern Water spokesman said: “Essential repair work to the sewer at Westgate Towers in Canterbury has now been completed today.
“We are sorry for the disruption this has caused residents, businesses and commuters in Canterbury.
“This work took longer than expected as we worked to protect our network by installing a structural liner along 63 metres of sewer to strengthen it.”
The utility company previously said investigations had been unable to identify one clear cause for the damage.
“We have investigated the likely cause of the damage to the sewer, but it has not been possible to determine a single definitive reason,” a spokesperson added.
“It may be due to general deterioration over time, although we also cannot rule out the possibility of third-party activity or nearby utility works having had an impact.”
Southern Water says surveys found “around 60% of its structural integrity had been lost in two separate locations”, requiring urgent repairs.
A 63-metre structural liner has now been installed inside the sewer to strengthen it and “future-proof” it against further deterioration.
The company believes the concrete sewer dates from around the 1960s and confirmed that pumping systems had been used throughout the works to prevent disruption to wastewater services for customers.
The latest closure has proved particularly difficult for motorists because it coincided with a separate long-term road closure in the Broad Oak area across the city.
Shalloak Road was shut by South East Water last week for a four-month £800,000 programme to replace “burst-prone” water mains pipes.
The closure has diverted traffic via Sturry Hill and the level crossing, causing major congestion along Sturry Road and the surrounding streets near the Broad Oak area, already under pressure from the Westgate diversion.
Residents branded the timing “beyond a joke”, with Sturry and Broad Oak Residents’ Association chairman Peta Boucher describing Sturry Hill as “a total nightmare”.
The Westgate Towers closure follows the completion in March of Canterbury City Council’s £22 million Levelling Up-funded overhaul around the medieval gatehouse, which included the creation of a new public square and resurfaced road.
But the festival to mark the project will see St Peter’s Place shut southbound next week, between Monday and Friday, from 9am until 2pm.
The road is closed in both directions on Saturday, May 23, from 9am until 8pm, and on Sunday, May 24, from 6am until midnight.
“The weekday daytime closure referred to on the sign is for safe rehearsals of the aerial theatre production at Canterbury Unlocked on Sunday, May 24,” a city council spokesman said.
“We think people are going to find both the rehearsals and the actual show spectacular to watch.”
The new city-wide festival, dubbed Canterbury Unlocked, is the first of a series of events this summer to mark the completion of the works and story gardens scheme.
It will include live music from Hullabaloo, The Native Oysters Band and Goblin Band and an aerial theatre performance, The Great Escape, at the new Westgate Square.
Folk Lore Kent’s Mayhem Fair will be at the Dane John Gardens, complete with a big top marquee, folk entertainment, live music and crafting and dance workshops.
There will also be food markets and pop-up bars across the town, with further activities taking place in Whitefriars.
