Community, Parish Council & Village
Chitts Hill Closed To Replace Gas MainsCadent is about to replace old iron gas mains with more durable plastic pipes to ensure safe and reliable gas supplies to local businesses and residents. These works will take place between 22nd July and 2nd September and will require the closure of Chitts Hill to through traffic.
Diversions will be in place Continue reading “Chitts Hill Closed To Replace Gas Mains”
Parking & Roads on Fete DayLet’s start with parking. The only parking allowed in the Orpen Hall car park during the fete itself is for the disabled; this must be pre-booked with the Parish Clerk. Stallholders will be allowed to park temporarily whilst setting up or clearing down but will then need to find alternative parking elsewhere. Your parking options are as follows: Continue reading “Parking & Roads on Fete Day”
A12 Urgent Resurfacing Overnight 15th JanuaryWe have been informed that urgent resurfacing will be taking place between 8 pm to 6 am overnight on 15th January (weather permitting). Kier Highways will be closing the road SOUTHBOUND between junctions 28 and 26. They will put a diversion in place via A1232 and A133 before re-joining the A12 southbound at junction 26.
Continue reading “A12 Urgent Resurfacing Overnight 15th January”
More Roadworks – 17th – 19th DecemberTo compound the current closure of Chapel Lane to through traffic, 17th – 19th December sees more disruption. Anglian Water will be undertaking Valve Checks which will entail multi-way traffic controls at the junction of New Church Road and Chapel Road. Anglian Water will also be working in Pirie Road over those days although traffic disruption is not expected.
Surface Dressing After EasterWith Surface Dressing scheduled after Easter, we can expect disruption on the B1508 (Colchester Road) between Wormingford and Braiswick. Due to the recent cold weather, though, this has now been postponed as work crews have been diverted elsewhere. It is now probable that the work will be undertaken around 25th-28th April and will take place overnight.
Check the roadworks map on the village website nearer the time to track this project and check out any others that might be coming up.
Essex Highways say:
Firstly we patch any potholes or other defects and make the surface level. Then crews spray the existing road surface with a coating of hot bitumen and cover it with stone chippings. We then roll the chippings into the bitumen to form a water-resistant protective layer; this makes the road less slippery and extends its life.
As soon as the bitumen has set, we sweep the road to remove loose chippings. The nature of the treatment means there will be some loose chippings on the road surface until it beds down. 20mph speed limit temporary warning signs will be visible to alert drivers, as vehicles using the new surface help to embed the loose chippings. After about a week we return to the road and sweep up any chippings that have not been pressed into the bitumen; they will then add appropriate road markings.
Chitts Hill Overnight Closure 3rd DecemberThere will be a closure of Chitts Hill Level Crossing to traffic between 23:45 and 07:00 on the night of 3rd December. This is to enable Network Rail to undertake urgent track consolidation through the crossing. Network Rail will maintain emergency & pedestrian access at all times.
The alternative route will be via Chitts Hill, Argents Lane, Spring Lane, Halstead Road, Chitts Hill and vice versa.
Roadworks in Lexden RoadBetween 11th & 14th April Lexden Road will be closed to through traffic from the junction with Sackville Way south for a relatively short distance whilst the National Grid carries out essential work to connect properties to the gas network. The alternative route from 50 – 88 Lexden Road (& vice versa) will be via: Lexden Rd, New Church Road, Chapel Road and vice versa. Access for emergency services and pedestrians will be maintained at all times.
To see more details for this closure, and to view other roadworks that might affect you, look on the roadworks website at https://roadworks.org/?tm=60252. Apart from minor works installing signs in New Church Road later this week (23rd – 25th), the Roadworks site shows no other works are currently scheduled in the village for the next 3 months.
Many of you will have had letters or seen publicity about the resurfacing programme that will take place shortly on key roads in the village including Chapel Road, New Church Road and Queens Road. However the term MicroSurfacing may have had many of you reaching for Wikipedia or simply scratching your heads in bewilderment!
The wait is nearly over and we will soon be seeing it in action but for those who would like to be prepared we have found the video (below) that should help you understand what will happen. The video is from the US but the principle is exactly the same here.
As you can see from the video a thin layer of surfacing is laid over the road once obvious defects such as potholes and larger patches have been repaired. In our case these defects have already been attended to in past weeks, so all that is needed is the application of the road surfacing material. During most of this time through traffic will be blocked, but access to your property will be maintained wherever possible; there may be constraints when the material is actually being laid outside your driveway of course. Once the preparation is completed, though, and the surface is being laid it is normal for one side of the road to be completely closed until the surface is solid enough to take traffic (about half an hour).
Early October sees the return of Ringway to do more Micro-Surfacing works on our roads. This work will necessitate road closures with restricted access particularly whilst the micro-surfacing has been newly laid. There will also be parking restrictions to allow the whole road surface to be addressed. Be aware that the dates may vary slightly if weather interferes with the works.
It is a thin, tough layer of asphalt emulsion blended with finely crushed stone for traction. This is a cost-effective method to renew the road surface and seal minor cracks and other irregularities.
The end of October may see slightly heavier traffic than usual on the B1508 Colchester Road as it becomes a diversion route for traffic normally using the Sudbury Road in Bures.
Following further discussions with bus companies we are now able to provide a fuller update on bus routes and stops in use whilst the sewers are repaired in Lexden Road (expected to be until Wednesday 9th September but could be longer).
All buses that would normally complete the “West Bergholt loop” will now be running up and down Chapel Road only, using Mumford Road and Donard Drive to turn around. Only the Chambers 753/754 will continue along Colchester Road as a whole, the other buses will not be running along Lexden Road or the top part of Colchester Road by the Treble Tile (see map).
The following bus services will be affected:
Please wait for your buses at the waiting areas along Chapel Road and only the part of Colchester Road past the roundabout to the Maltings where the school buses would normally stop.