For those of us who, like me, regularly travel between Ongar and Brentwood, the current gas works taking place on the Ongar Road are causing a great deal of travel disruption.
Add to this the closure of Western Avenue and Geary Drive, plus the knock on effects of the National Highways work on the Brook Street roundabout, plus the works to remove the flyover at Gallows Corner on the Way to Romford, and Brentwood has been a gridlock nightmare for those living in the town this summer.
I've been contacted by constituents who are baffled by the road closures and the issues they have caused, so have bene in touch with Cadent - the company carrying out the gasworks in the town - and Essex County Council, which is responsible for giving permission for road closures. So far I have received the following response from Cadent:
"The works that we are currently carrying out are part of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) directive to replace ageing gas pipes in accordance with the Iron Mains Risk Reduction Programme, which has been in place since 2002. This programme ensures public safety in the transportation of gas to properties through the upgrade of gas pipes in the street and to properties.
We are aware of the impact our works have had on local traffic and the frustration this has caused for residents, and we would like to share some further information with you on measures taken in order to reduce this disruption whilst also ensuring the safety of the public and our workforce whilst the works are being carried out.
The reason for various road closures is to remove the need for numerous traffic light heads, which would increase the amount of wait time on Ongar Road and surrounding streets while these lights go through individual cycle phases. The project was discussed with Highways and Local Council, and it was decided that these works would be carried out over the school summer holidays in order to reduce the impact on the community. In relation to the current road closures, these are in place at:
- Geary Drive closure - this street is closed to facilitate connections from Ongar Road and will be removed when we move onto the next phase.
- Western Avenue closure - this location has been designated for equipment and material storage to support the work site in Ongar Road.
With Ongar Road not having many areas that are suitable for storing a large quantity of equipment, this area was designated as we were also completing mains replacement works into Western Avenue. The other available areas were too far from the work site to safely travel our equipment and machinery as well as incorporate waste removal via HGV grab lorries.
As part of these programme of works, we have taken some additional measures and actions in order to engage with the community and reduce disruption:
- Carried out a Community engagement event on the High Street on 29 July, with a further one planned in collaboration with Brentwood Council on 1st September.
- We are collaborating with the Highways with them completing resurfacing works alongside our Mains Replacement programme.
- Delivering the works in a phased approach to minimise the impact on traffic.
- Extension of team working hours to complete the works as quickly as possible.
- We have also engaged with stakeholders around bus routes, continuation of street markets and emergency service planning to ensure these are all maintained throughout the works.
We do have a programme of further works that have been proposed and agreed with the Highways to deliver further Mains Replacement schemes. These will be delivered over the coming year in order to maintain a safe and resilient supply of gas to the Brentwood area and our customers.
We appreciate these works can cause disruption to the community, and I hope we have reassured you that we are taking appropriate measurements to reduce this disruption as much as possible."
I will continue to monitor complaints from constituents about how the work has been advertised and carried out so please do get in touch with me if you have been affected.
