Road *!@!! works!

Ronski · Post by **Ronski** » 2 Dec 2009 23:06

I unfortunately had to be at work ridiculously early a few days ago & at 6.30am I was amazed the traffic was backed up from the Kent House Road lights past the library.

The traffic light phasing simply isn't working, I wonder who actually sets that up, the workmen themselves or does someone who deals with traffic flow actually get it running? Room for improvement to say the least!

mrs woman · Post by **mrs woman** » 5 Dec 2009 15:46

Hi there

Apparently Marion Nesbett is the counsellor to speak to so about the roadworks.

I also spoke to the people who are running the consultation for upgrading the high street. If the works get approved they will take place from Summer next year and will be piecemeal with minimum disruption. Therefore all the utility works should be finished by summer next year.

Apparently all of the road works were done with consultation with the council. I made the point that the utilities have shown a total disregard for pedestratrians by removing the crossing between sommerfield and slaters. They should not be allowed to do this and should be made to put in a temporary crossing if they fence off an existing one. This is a total disregard to pedestrian safety.

I kept asking questions about the boroughs intentions about once the highstreet is upgraded and how it will be maintained. Also this consultation is on the blessing of TFL and the proposal should allow for the movement of buses. Given the present traffic situaton, if that isnt irony i dont know what is. Perhaps TFL should have their ear bent - do they have any influence over road works?

RE traffic monitoring yes that suppose to be looked at frequently and sometimes use to dissuade motorists from using a particular route by causing a back up.

SAF · Post by **SAF** » 9 Dec 2009 08:53

Looking again at the notice from Southern Gas it seems they still haven't assessed the work from Bell Green back to Mayow Road that is Phase 4 of the project. They mention traffic disruption of course, but can they possibly do all that work between March and summer when it is taking them at least 15 months to go the other way? Finally, it is almost the middle of December and time to lose that hole outside Lidl. Any bets? I spoke to an engineer in the street and he seemed to think the hole will be there some time yet.

http://www.sgn.co.uk/ScotiaGas/uploaded ... m_Road.pdf

SAF · Post by **SAF** » 10 Dec 2009 10:39

I realise this is becoming an obsession but I have had quite enough of being trapped by these foul smelling works. Anyway, yesterday there was quite a lot of yellow jacketed men looking into the hole so I bothered them again for a second opinion. They were very helpful and told me the following.

1. The very noticeable smell of gas comes from a number of serious leaks in the mains they are replacing. The old mains ( 3 large pipes) were finally decommissioned yesterday between Mayow Road and Kent House Lane.

2. Work to fill in the hole outside Lidl should begin today and be finished at the weekend (hooray!).

3. There is an awful lot of very disruptive work to be done between Kent House Lane and Bell Green (oh no!). It should be finished in the Spring.

4. Work on the north side of the road between Mayow Road and Bell Green - a continuation of the work done further up the High Street two years ago- can then begin.

5. This final phase should be less disruptive and faster because there is only one pipe to replace rather than three. There will be holes in the road but not so large as the ones there now. I wasn't here two years ago so I can't vouch for that.

Hope this is of interest and perhaps even accurate.

csw · Post by **csw** » 16 Dec 2009 11:54

Spoke with the Construction Manager at Southern Gas this morning after making a complaint to Jim Dowd (response within 24 hours, he gets my vote...!). Apparently all fencing etc at the Mayow Rd/ High St junction should be removed within the next week. Watch this space!

mummycat · Post by **mummycat** » 16 Dec 2009 20:07

I noticed that the crossing is now open between The Cake Store and Whites Pet shop. Hopefully this should encourage more shoppers towards this area of Sydenham Road.

Nickerbockers · Post by **Nickerbockers** » 18 Dec 2009 10:53

Any more news anybody? Just want Kent House Road open again and for our bus service to be reinstated! If you know how long they're saying it'll be now I'd love to hear it - it's already gone past their longest estimate when it began!

Tim Lund · Post by **Tim Lund** » 21 Dec 2009 09:56

This is what was sent out Dec 11th:

At a meeting yesterday with Lewisham Council, it was agreed that we would re-instate the permanent traffic signals and pedestrian crossing at Mayow Road on Wednesday 16 December. This means all fencing and materials will be removed from the junction.

On the same day, we will be erecting two-way temporary lights at Trewsbury Road, which will remain in place until we have made the connection and re-instated the workarea. We estimate this will take one week. During this period there will be no exit from Trewsbury Road; traffic will be directed to Kent House Road via Woodbastwick Road. We will close the pedestrian crossing at Berryman's Lane to allow better traffic flow through the lights.

Nick Hemsley

Corporate Communications
Scotia Gas Networks
St Lawrence House, Station Approach, Horley, Surrey RH6 9HJ

Wing · Post by **Wing** » 5 Jan 2010 08:43

Due to works on a burst mains temporary traffic lights have been put in near the start of Sydenham Hill (approx 200 yards from the Astra Hotel). This happened in the middle of last night. If you are going to use Sydenham Hill during peak hours please expect long queues.

SydenhamHillAndy · Post by **SydenhamHillAndy** » 5 Jan 2010 12:00

As of lunchtime no workmen have been spotted. This is going to be terrible at rush hour tonight. Lights right next to the roundabout is a recipe for disaster.

Which Council covers this bit of road?

Tim Lund · Post by **Tim Lund** » 9 Jan 2010 15:41

the latest from SGN:

Dear all

Work is complete in Sydenham Road from the junction with Kent House Road to the junction with Mayow Road. Work is currently being undertaken to make the connection at Fairlawn Park and excavation has begun, to abandon the old main as far as the Health Centre at Bell Green.

I will provide individual phase and overall project completion date estimates early next week.

lbere · Post by **lbere** » 16 Jan 2010 14:55

Congrats SGN.

The whole of Lower Sydenham from The Prince Alfred pub to the lights at Bell Green is at a standstill!!!

The traffic lights remain in force at the Price Alfred pub, and driving towards Catford/Southend Lane, only one lane is in action by the Doctors Surgery at Bell Green.

The traffic is getting stuck at The Prince Alfred because of the back log of traffic from Bell Green and nothing at all is moving.

Why if the work by The Prince Alfred is done do the lights remain in force?

Congrats again SGN!!!!!

simon · Post by **simon** » 16 Jan 2010 18:38

I have emailed TFL to find out why the traffic lights on the crossing outside Hexagon have been off for weeks, yet to have a reply. With the crossing at the Alfred also out of action there is nowhere to cross between the library and Mayo Road.

mrs woman · Post by **mrs woman** » 17 Jan 2010 09:43

Shoddy treatment for car drivers, even shoddier treatment for pedestrians. They should put ina temporary crossing if they take one out just like when they have temporary stop lines to keep both lanes of traffic moving. They should Not be allowed just to take out a pedestrian crossing without providing some alternative.

Unbelievable.

Tim Lund · Post by **Tim Lund** » 30 Jan 2010 08:54

More yesterday from SGN

Dear all

We are currently in the process of decommissioning the existing main beneath Sydenham Road, between the junctions with Kent House Road and Bell Green. When this has been achieved, we will insert the new pipe inside it. This process will take approximately eleven days.

On completion of the insertion, we will work to connect the new main with the existing main at the Bell Green junction. This work will involve digging a trench across the junction. Once the connection is made we will have the new main commissioned.

We will then make the connection at the junction with Watlington Grove, after which we will move the temporary traffic lights, setting them up at to the junction with Fairlawn Park to make the connection there. We will then return the area between the junctions with Kent House Road and Fairlawn Park back to its original state, including putting the permanent traffic lights back into operation.

Both the school and church connections can be made by trenching from the new main to the footpath, in two sections, utilising the bus lane. It require temporary traffic lights to be in operation in order to undertake these works.

The connection at Porthcawe Road can be undertaken while maintaining two-way traffic flow.

We expect the above work to be completed by April.

In the next update - to be issued in two weeks' time - I will provide details of our upcoming work between the Bell Green and Mayow Road junctions.

Yours sincerely

Nickerbockers · Post by **Nickerbockers** » 2 Feb 2010 13:26

APRIL!???? So much for the 10 weeks it was going to take back in October 09!!!

Why can't they just put the 356 back on it's usual route - I don't see any reason they can't do that, cars are coming and going out of Kent House Road at the Sydenham end! It is completely ridiculous!!!

Tim Lund · Post by **Tim Lund** » 3 Mar 2010 13:01

Latest from SGN

We have completed the insertion of the new plastic pipe into the old main from the junction with Kent House Road to the junction with Bell Green.

We are currently excavating across the junction outside Sydenham Green Health Centre in order to connect the new pipe to an existing main. Meanwhile, we are returning the previous connection hole back to normal to give the traffic more room.

We have to prepare the connections at the junctions with Watlington Grove and Porthcawe Road before we can commission the new pipe. This will take until the middle of March. We will then decommission the old main between the junctions with Kent House Road and Mayow Road. after which we will work our way down from Kent House Road, making the connections as we go.

I also just got interrupted in a phone call with someone from London Buses communications on the 356 bus route, and why they were unable to communicate better ... I hope to post on this on the 356 thread. It would be nice if people who are actually paid to communicate would be bothered to use forums such as this. The guy from SGN did post once ...

Ulysses · Post by **Ulysses** » 3 Mar 2010 13:24

I fear they might have to return to the site opposite The Dolphin. You could smell the gas most of last week (it was so strong you could smell it from across the road!)

I mean the spot next to Trattoria Raffaele. To be fair I saw one chap out with his prod/sensor on Sunday evening. I haven't been there since Sunday evening so I hope they aren't going to have to dig the hole again...

I don't mean this to be scaremongering but they were definitely up to something.

lbere · Post by **lbere** » 12 Apr 2010 21:09

Have you noticed????????????????? The temporary traffic lights have gone. Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

simon · Post by **simon** » 13 Apr 2010 00:07

The Joy!
The Joy!

Only discovered this evening that they had gone from the Prince Alfred junction; marvelous

Don't know how long its going to last though; apparently SGN are coming back form Bell Green on the other side of the road. Enjoy it while you can though. Those lights have been there for months and caused chaos all over.
Perhaps the 356 will finally be rerouted.

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Road *!@!! works!