From what I have heard now, the proposal of the main being replaced would have caused something in the region of 3 months of planning and delays to get it done. Minimum.
TW advised that they did NOT need to divert their mains, and the construction of the road was suitable and met their approval.
BT and Virgin Media cables and ducts have however been added, so that should be a couple of utilities that dont need to do any digging on the new surface.
The hole which appeared in the new carriageway, (pictured by Rob) was actually planned, to uncover a sewer vent, and to now install the drain cover etc. Was easier to cover and then make the road, THEN uncover it when the road surface was all done.
Finally, the plan is still to re-open the road on Oct 10th, which will leave a few bits like street furnishings to finish up, but these can be done with the road open.
This concludes the updates kindly supplied by Mick Hepworth