This isn’t the most exciting subject to write about. It’s perhaps worth concluding the weeks of traffic disruption with images of the completed drainage works.
There’s not much to see, just a couple of large manhole covers and a change in the road surface with new tarmac. Below is a photo during the works, and a couple of photos of the completed works. As the drainage works were to stop flooding at the point on the road, there jolly well shouldn’t be any future floods here.
Me, I do like peering into holes in the ground. I couldn’t, therefore, resist re-visiting the Broadway Road drainage works in Windlesham. To see the details about the works, Windlesham Parish Council has it HERE.
There is, however, no explanation of the what the work entails, nor a detailed explanation of the reason for the work. All I learned from questioning the workers on site was that an underground chamber associated with drainage from the M3 motorway was faulty in some way, which they said led to road flooding, necessitating its replacement.
Have to say, I remain unclear as to the purpose of the sump or chamber, and where the water goes after crossing the road. I’m presuming that it somehow finds its way into Windlesham Brook.
Here are the photos I took a couple of days ago on the current state of the works. Click on images to expand.
Broadway Road joins Lightwater to Windlesham. It’s not a long road, perhaps no more than a mile or so. It runs underneath the M3 at one point. It is an important road, allowing traffic from Camberley, Farnborough and surrounding areas a convenient route to Chertsey, Addlestone, and beyond.
For this little road to be closed for five weeks, see Surrey County Council notice below, is a significant disruption for traffic, so the reason for its closure is obviously important. Below this notice I explain the reason for the work, with some explanatory [hopefully] photos.
Visiting the road works and chatting to the engineers, socially distanced of course, I learned that the part of Broadway Road immediately to the north of the M3 is prone to flooding. The drain under the road, from an underground chamber on one side to the drain on the other isn’t working as it should. A large, sewer type concrete drain is being installed across the road. Hence the road closure. Here are my photos,
I drove through Bagshot last week, and couldn’t fail to notice the changes to the village square.
Simply had to go back and visit the square to view the changes, and in doing so the changes gained my admiration. Gone are the untidy parked cars. Now it’s a flexible public space. I haven’t got a comparable photo of the square before the change, the one I’ve posted below is the nearest I’ve got.
Wouldn’t it be great if other Surrey Heath villages had such improvements to their village centres to improve their ambience. I don’t imagine that the budget for this work would be very big.
In the week, driving along the Maultway towards Red Road, I failed to miss a pothole in the road. There was a big thump, such that I resolved, later, to take a photo of it, and report it Surrey Highways.
I took that photo this afternoon, and noticed that it had Surrey Highways repair mark. Fine, they’re aware ot it. Not good is that it isn’t considered for emergency repair, because it absolutely brutal.
The B311 Red Road, between Heatherside in Camberley and West End that passes by Lightwater, is a busy and important road.
I’m sure I don’t really need to tell you that, also ny road works, accidents, broken down cars cause huge delays, especially during rush hours.
So, when there’s a notice appearing on the road indicating some upcoming road works, vehicles slow down to attempt to read the sign. The signs aren’t large, and the text is small, therefore reading from a moving vehicle is mostly unsuccessful. Here’s a photo of the sign. I’m try and find out more. Click on image to enlarge.
UPDATED:Â See below photo.
I knew there’d be someone who knows more about this than I do, and of course it’s knowledgeable Speedicus. His comment deserves wider prominence,
What a relief, no more queuing through the roadworks to recreate the island at the junctions of Red Road, the Maultway, and Upper Chobham Road.
Like many of you, I have grudgingly accepted the time lost to queuing, especially on the Red Road approach to the roadworks. My worst was being in a queue of the fourth traffic light cycle, would’ve been queuing for more than 20 minutes. I’d mentally switched off, otherwise annoyance would’ve overtaken me.
Anyway, the road works are complete. Earlier this week, during the middle of the day I stood by the island and watched the traffic flow. I saw that everything was running smoothly. Thank goodness they did not opt for traffic lights.
The sarsen stone is now nicely positioned, hopefully, in future not to be lost behind scrub.
UPDATE: Thanks to commenter Speedicus, see in comments below, I now learn that it’s only a overnight road closure – SEE HERE – from 8.0pm to 6.0am. Why couldn’t they say so?
The road works creating a new island at the junction of the B311 Red Road, Upper Chobham Road, and the Maultway is causing traffic delays. Yesterday from the queue at S Bends on Red Road I waited 10 minutes till I could to cross over the road works.
A 10 minute delay I can handle, a road closure to two weeks I can’t.
A two week road closure, where did I learn about that. Well, it’s all very odd. Yesterday I saw a warning sign on the Maultway – coming from the A30 – stating that the road would be closed for two weeks from 15-4-2019. Today, when I went to photograph the sign, it wasn’t there.
Have they changed their minds, or was it an error? Whatever. Even thinking about closing the roads around the road works for any length of time is unacceptable.
The leader of Surrey Heath Borough Council, Cllr Moira Gibson, announced her standing down from the role in January 2019. See press release HERE. An informal reception to recognise Moira’s 21 years as leader of the Council was held after the council meeting on Thursday this week.
As a past mayor I had an invitation the reception. Not having been in the audience for a council meeting for a year or so, I planned to watch the whole meeting.
Leaving home at 6.30 pm for a 7.0pm meeting start, I failed to remember the traffic queue on Red Road. The queue began just prior to Macdonald Road. As the queue moved a little forward I was able to leave the queue, thinking the A30 through Bagshot would be a good idea.
What a bad move that turned out to be. The queues on the A30 were far worse that Red Road. Cllr Valerie White notes how bad is this traffic HERE on her Facebook page.
Morals of this story. Allow more time for local journey’s, and the Red Road traffic queues aren’t quite as bad as the alternatives.
This warning sign has been in place on Red Road [B311] for a week or more. Perhaps it’s time for users of Red Road to test an alternative route, just in case the dealys are dreadful.
