Scottish Water’s emergency sewer and sinkhole repairs in Glasgow city centre are now expected to take up to twelve weeks to complete.

Scottish Water’s emergency sewer and sinkhole repairs on Cathedral Street in Glasgow city centre are now expected to take up to twelve weeks to complete. The road was closed on safety grounds on Wednesday 1 April 2026 after investigations confirmed a collapse on the Victorian egg brick sewer and voids beneath both sides of the carriageway.

After preparation to preserve and protect other utilities and essential services in the work area, excavations began over the holiday weekend.

A spokesperson for the publicly owned utility said: “The damaged Victorian egg brick sewer is more than three metres deep, but unfortunately because of the heavy clay soil and presence of numerous cables and pipes, progress has been significantly slower than expected.

“We have also found a significant amount of concrete in the excavation site which must be carefully broken out and removed as there may be other power cables or other utilities encased inside.

“There is always a degree of chance when breaking ground in the city centre, but in this case, we have been hit by a triple whammy of clay, concrete and cables.

“Given these challenges and the necessity for multiple excavations it is clear the work will take significantly longer than we first thought.

“We will do everything we can to complete the repairs and reopen the road as quickly as possible and would like to thank everyone affected for their continued patience and understanding.”

Cathedral Street remains closed between North Hanover Street and Montrose Street with a signed diversion in place. A temporary Bus Gate suspension is also in place at Cathedral Bridge.

Scottish Water say local access to North Fredrick Street, North Fredrick Path, Martha Street and John Street is being maintained and traffic control operatives are on site 24 hours a day to monitor the situation.

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) has confirmed that a number of services will be closed affected by an emergency road closure near Buchanan Street Bus Station in Glasgow City Centre.

Scottish Citylink also confirmed the diversions on Cathedral Street for their services, with passengers advised to use Buchanan Bus Station.

A spokesperson for Scottish Citylink said: “Scottish Citylink services are currently being diverted due to the emergency closure of Cathedral Street in Glasgow, after a sinkhole was identified on the road on Tuesday evening. The street has been closed in both directions from 19:00, and at this stage we have not been given an estimated reopening time.

“As a result of the closure, our stops on Cathedral Street in both directions are temporarily out of use. Passengers should use Buchanan Bus Station instead.

“This closure affects all Citylink services that normally use Cathedral Street when entering or leaving Glasgow, including key routes such as service 902 between Glasgow and Edinburgh Airport, M8 between Glasgow and Dundee and the overnight M9 services between Glasgow and Aberdeen.

“All these services are currently following diversions, and while they continue to operate as normal, some delays are possible, particularly at busy times.

“We are monitoring traffic conditions closely and will continue to update customers through our usual channels. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and appreciate our customers’ patience while these emergency works take place.”