The long term water main renewal work for Biggin Hill is being welcomed given that this will end the need for frequent emergency work by Thames Water, with the associated disruption.
The Thames Water work, which gets underway next week, will start approximately at the roundabout in Leaves Green Road at the junction with Downe Road incrementally moving along the road until the installation is successfully complete at Biggin Hill. Temporary traffic signals will be needed throughout the duration of the water mains installation work, along the length of Leaves Green Road and Main Road, which is estimated to take 2 years to complete.
To speed up the work, Thames Water and their contractors will be working 6 days a week, which was advocated by the council. The council has also requested that at peak traffic times, that the traffic lights are manually controlled, to allow for maximum flexibility, thereby minimising congestion during these periods.
Councillor Nicholas Bennett, Executive Councillor for Transport, Highways and Road Safety said, “There is a common misconception that somehow the council is in control of utility works, when this is not true, albeit that we do co-ordinate proposed work in support of road users. Our statistics show there have been 25 burst water mains in 5 years along this stretch of road and we have long asked Thames Water to act and this water main renewal work is welcome. We reluctantly accept there is no other option other than to recognise there will be traffic congestion, with the benefits of this work coming over the years to come.”
Councillor Bennett added, “We welcome the fact that Thames Water have been engaging with local residents already but road users further afield also need to be aware of this work. We also welcome the commitment of Thames Water to work 6 days per week, which will mean the work is finished quicker overall as well as the commitment to manually control the traffic in the peak periods.”
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