Ashburton residents will soon be serviced by new wastewater pipes with bigger capacity for a growing urban population, thanks to a $10 million project starting this year.

The Council is carrying out the Ashburton Relief Sewer (ARS) project on the eastern side of town with the help of a $7.98 million Government grant from the three waters reform stimulus package.

The upgrades will see larger pipes ranging from 600 to 800 millimetres in diameter installed underground for 5.1 kilometres, starting at the new Ashburton River crossing pipeline on Milton Road South and ending on Bridge Street in Hampstead.

The work will disrupt vehicle access on Milton Road South at various stages of the project, with road closures planned for the Beach Road East intersection and Wakanui Road intersection. Parts of Albert Street will also be impacted.

Council has contracted Ashburton Contracting Ltd (ACL) and Seipp Construction Ltd to complete the work, which is expected to finish in March 2022.

Council Infrastructure Services Group Manager, Neil McCann says the ARS is a continuation of the major upgrades Council has been carrying out to future-proof Ashburton's wastewater infrastructure.

"The ARS has been a big project on our books for some time and with the River Crossing and Pump Station project now complete, we can start installing the larger pipes around town that will transport our wastewater all the way under the river to the new pump station."

Ashburton District Mayor, Neil Brown says the Council is very pleased to have the backing of the Government, which is covering 80 per cent of the project costs.

"When the first tranche of the three waters reform funding was announced, we saw a good opportunity to save some money for ratepayers and we were delighted to be awarded such a significant sum."

Preparation work has begun at the river-end of Milton Road South and this stretch of road to Beach Road East will eventually be closed to the public while the pipes are installed.

The Ashburton/Hakatere River Track will remain open to trail-users, however access will be unavailable via Milton Road South.

Council will provide further details of the upcoming road closures and detour routes as the project progresses.

To stay up-to-date on the Ashburton Relief Sewer project, visit the Council website ashburtondc.govt.nz/ARS​.​