SES Water are investing £280,000 in a new water mains along White Down Lane and Critten Lane. The existing water mains which was installed in the 1930’s is coming to the end of its operational life. Analysis of recent failures indicate that the Water Mains needs to be replaced in order that SES Water can deliver secure, safe and reliable drinking water for both homes and businesses in the area.
The installation of the new water mains means that unfortunately it is necessary to close sections of the road, due to the width of the road, and the number of other utilities already in the ground. The Code of Practice for Safety at Street Works and Road Works (2013) states the following:
- Minimum required width for 2-way traffic flow: 5.5m
- Minimum required width for shuttle working i.e. traffic lights\priority boards: 3.25m
- Anything below 3.25m requires a road closure
The widths of White Down Lane, Critten Lane and Beech Avenue reduce down to 4.0m in places. The presence of our barriers\traffic management would mean the remaining width would almost certainly be reduced to way below the required 3.25m width. This combined with the presence of numerous other utilities in road which will force the alignment to the centre of the road, further reducing the available width. Due to the narrow and twisting nature of all 3 roads, the rolling road closures will allow SES Water workforce to work safely and with confidence that the vehicular hazards have been removed. The road closures also mean that the work can be completed quicker than would otherwise be the case.
Planned road closures are:
- White Down Lane is being closed 31 July to Sept. 2017
- Critten Lane to St Teresa’s is being closed from 11 Sept. 2017 to March 2018
- Beech Avenue closed from March 2018 to October 2018