A4 Rail Bridge Condition 'Far Worse Than Expected' |
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Westbound lane closures need to be extended by two weeks
Transport for London (TfL) has announced that the condition of the Cromwell Road Rail Bridge on the A4 in Chiswick is far worse than had been expected. This means that the anticipated full reopening of the westbound carriage will now no longer take place this week. It was originally scheduled to be back to three lane operation on Sunday 23 October and the lane restrictions will remain in place until 6 November. There will now be a full closure of the A4 westbound between Chiswick Roundabout and Hogarth Roundabout on Saturday 5 November from 10pm to 5am and a full closure the following night eastbound for the same hours. It is understood that the full eastbound closure of the road from junction 3 of the M4 to Chiswick Roundabout overnight on Sunday 23 October is no longer taking place. TfL says that the condition of the bridge has meant that Phase 2 of the project is one week behind schedule but that it still intends to have the work completed before Christmas. The third phase of the project will start two weeks later than intended but TfL believes this will be less disruptive because the westbound carriageway will be fully reopened. From 7 November to 9 December the eastbound carriageway of the A4 will be reduced to two lanes between Chiswick Roundabout and Hogarth Roundabout and the slip road to join the A4 eastbound at Chiswick Roundabout will be closed. After Phase 3, there will be two full directional weekend closures on the A4 eastbound between M4 junction 2 and Hogarth Roundabout to enable the completion of the works and the safe removal of traffic management measures. These will take place from 11pm on Friday 9 December to 5:00am on Monday 12 December and from 11pm on Friday 16 December to 5am. on Monday 19 December. Weather conditions or other unforeseen circumstances could mean that the work fails to be completed on time. In this case there would be two additional full directional closures from 11pm on Friday 6 January to 5am on Monday 9 January and from 11pm on Friday 13 January to 5am Monday on 16 January. No works will take place over Christmas and New Year weekends.
The pavement on eastbound carriageway side between Oxford Road North and Harvard Hill will be closed from 7 November to 9 December. There will be signed diversion routes via the subway at Harvard Hill and the underpass on Wellesley Road The bridge has had no major refurbishment since it was built over 80 years ago, and it has gradually deteriorated over this time. TfL says the works will ensure the bridge is safe for years to come and will avoid the need for more disruptive and expensive repairs at a later date. Hounslow Council has made no announcement at this stage about whether or not the suspension of restrictions on Hartington Road and Staveley Road will be extended. We have asked Ealing Council if it still intends to proceed with the full closure of South Parade later this month which was originally scheduled to take place after the westbound carriageway of the A4 had reopened.
October 18, 2022 |