Portland Street in Manchester city centre remains closed as repair work continues following a burst water main on Wednesday, October 28. The incident has caused significant disruption to traffic and bus services, with Piccadilly Gardens bus station also shut.
Ongoing closures and affected services
The road and bus station will stay closed on Monday, November 2, according to the Bee Network website. The website states: "A water leak on Portland Street is causing significant disruption in the city centre."
A large cordon was put in place around the area as United Utilities began repair work. The closures are affecting numerous bus services that use Portland Street and Piccadilly Gardens, including routes 15, 18, 30, 33, 38, 41, 42, 42A, 42B, 42C, 43, 50, 85, 85A, 86, 87, 101, 103, 111, 142, 143, 191, 197, 250, 255, 256, 263, Free bus 1 and Free bus 2.
Commuters face delays
Bus tickets are being accepted on Metrolink services between Victoria and Piccadilly and Northern rail services between Deansgate and Piccadilly. People can also use a Starling e-bike in the city centre for free for 20 minutes.
Over the weekend, commuters reported disrupted journeys. Aimee Dale said she gave up on her trip after waiting nearly three hours for a bus. "I've just spent three hours tryna get somewhere. I've abandoned ship," she said. "Gone to Starbucks and gone home."
Georgia Mae Lee-Lows described the 'gridlock' caused by the leak: "Traffic was gridlock, my bus took an hour to do two miles, so I gave up and decided to do a 40 minute walk instead." Alicia McEvoy said: "Took well over an hour to get from the Lowry to Deansgate, I can't wait to one day get home."
Apologies and repair timeline
TfGM's bus network director Alison Chew apologised for the disruption. She said: "We're really sorry for the impact it's having on your journeys. Utility companies have been working through the night to fix the road and get it reopened as soon as possible. At TfGM we're doing everything we can to keep people moving."
A United Utilities spokesperson said: "We apologise for the inconvenience caused by a burst water main on Portland Street. Our teams worked through the night to locate the burst while carefully balancing the need to maintain water supplies for customers in the area. This work will continue today, and we will repair the main as quickly as possible."
The spokesperson added: "We are working closely with TfGM and the council to manage disruption and reopen the road as soon as it is safe to do so. However, due to the damage caused by the burst, it is likely that repairs and road reinstatement will take several days to complete."
