Breakspear Road South and The Greenway

HS2 Works Notification: Thames Water works on The Greenway, 27 to 29 March

Thames Water need to return to the manhole on The Greenway to carry out their final piece of work outside no 43.

We will be pouring more concrete into the manhole, the same as we did earlier this month. We will be using a pump on Monday 27 March. The vehicle carrying concrete will again need to reverse up part of the road and will have two banksmen directing it at all times, it will give way to other vehicles.

The road will remain open at all times, but will be reduced to one lane for a short distance. Give way signs will be in place. On road parking will be restricted in the immediate area. Thames Water will reinstate the road on Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 March.

Please see details of the works https://www.hs2.org.uk/work-items/thamews-water-works-on-the-greenway-27-to-29-march/

HS2 Works Notification: Breakspear Road South closure, 1 to 16 April

From 1 to 16 April 2023, we will be carrying out works along Breakspear Road South, north and south of the Network Rail bridge. For safety reasons, a road closure will be in place for the duration of these works.

These works include:

  • Network Rail carrying out repair works on the bridge,structural examinations and vegetation works
  • HS2/SCS installing utilities trenches to allow for the connection of a water supply for the tunnel boring machines
  • HS2/SCS carrying out patch repairs to potholes around the Chiltern Bridge and HS2 site entrance

Access will be maintained for residents.

Please see details of the works here https://www.hs2.org.uk/work-items/breakspear-road-south-closure-1-16-april/

Our work is subject to change – for live traffic information go-to one.network https://one.network/ and please check on-the-road signs

20-mile road race and HS2 disruptions

Hillingdon 20 Mile Race – Sunday 26/03
A 20 Mile Running Race (the longest of its kind in the UK) will take place on Sunday 26/03 in the Ruislip Area between 9am and 1pm. Please expect disruption to traffic in this area during these times:

H20 Course Ruislip

Further information is available at https://www.hillingdonac.co.uk/hillingdon-20

Breakspear Road South Night Time Road Closures Wed 15/03 to Sun 19/03
HS2/SCS have been carrying out Night Time Road Closures of Breakspear Road South from Wed 15/03 to Sun 19/03. The Road will be Closed from 10pm to 5am Wed 15/03 & Thur 16/03, and 10pm to 6am Fri 17/03, Sat 18/03 & Sun 19/03.

Work on behalf of HS2 Ltd – National Grid overhead earthwire works
National Grid has re-routed and raised the height of a line of electricity pylons in Colne Valley to achieve safety clearance for HS2 Ltd. This month, as part of the final package of our work, we’ll replace the earthwire (the wire at the top of the pylons) over three spans. This upgrade work will keep the transmission network in first-class working order and help to meet future electricity demands.. Breakspear Road North closure and diversion: From Monday 20 March until Monday 27 March the road will be closed from Breakspear Road/South up to Rickmansworth Road, Harefield.

Breakspear Road South – Easter School Holidays Road Closure Sat 01/04 AM to Sun 16/04 PM
Network Rail have approached LBH about closing Breakspear Road South while they undertake essential repairs to the Chiltern Bridge. LBH Officers have consented to collaborative works that will involve Network Rail and HS2/SCS carrying out multiple activities during this road closure:

o Network Rail:

  • Repair of bridge
  • Examination of structure & vegetation works

o HS2/SCS:

  • Installation of Gantries for Chiltern Line bridge mitigations
  • Installation of utilities trench for the connection for the TBM water supply
  • Concrete pour for HS2 bridge deck
  • Patch Repairs to pot holes around Chiltern Bridge area to HS2 Site entrance

Tomorrow (Thurs) Village Hall HS2/SCS

This is a reminder of the HS2/SCS event taking place in Ickenham Village Hall on Thursday March 16th.
This is a ‘sit down’ meeting where HS2/SCS will present what steps are being taken to prevent problems such as water leakage and soil slippage whilst tunnel spoil is being dumped in the fields between Breakspear Road South and Harvil Road and later when HS2/SCS leave the site.
The meeting will start at 5.30 pm and close by 7 pm.
The proposed agenda is :

  1. Welcome and Introductions
  2. Construction overview
  3. Past issues and steps taken to address
  4. Plans going forward
  5. Question and Answer session

Representatives from London Borough of Hillingdon will be attending.

All residents are welcome to attend.

HS2/SCS at URC on March 21

Please join us for a community event on Tuesday 21 March 2023 between 4pm and 7pm at the Ickenham United Reformed Church, Swakeleys Rd, Ickenham, Uxbridge UB10 8BE.

The SCS Railways project team will be on hand to update you and answer your questions on the following areas:

• West Ruislip Portal activities – including tunnelling progress and the new rail siding
• Conveyor works – how we will be moving material taken out of the tunnels to reduce lorries on local roads
• Harvil Road – progress on changes and next steps Aerial drone video of the working areas between West Ruislip and Harvil Road will be shown at the event.

A40 traffic update

From HS2 BRS Night Time Road Closures Wed 15/03 to Sun 19/03
 
LBH have agreed to allow HS2/SCS to carry out Night Time Road Closures of Breakspear Road South from Wed 15/03 to Sun 19/03. The Road will be Closed from 10pm to 5am Wed 15/03 & Thur 16/03, and 10pm to 6am Fri 17/03, Sat 18/03 & Sun 19/03. There is also a Contingency Plan in place for following weekend (Night Time Closures 25/03 & 26/03) should this work not be completed.

Worried about HS2 spoil dumping?

March 16 Ickenham Village Hall ……..start 5:30 pm……finish by 7 pm

This is a ‘sit down’ meeting where HS2/SCS will present what steps are being taken to prevent problems such as water leakage and soil slippage whilst tunnel spoil is being dumped in the fields between Breakspear Road South and Harvil Road and later when HS2/SCS leave the site.

The meeting will include time for residents to question the HS2/SCS representatives.

HS2 call this site the Southern Sustainable Placement Area (SSPA). Spoil which is primarily London Clay is conveyed from the tunnel boring machines at West Ruislip and will be dumped in the fields up to a height of 6 metres. At completion the mounds will be landscaped.

HS2/SCS has been preparing the fields by removing top spoil and creating attenuation ponds. However there has been significant water leakage causing flooding and mud on the road and power outage and residents of Breakspear Road South have been very concerned about future activities in the fields.

This meeting has been organised after campaigning by residents and is open to all affected residents and all other residents who are concerned about HS2 activities in Ickenham.

(Please note HS2 has also organised a ‘drop in’ event at URC on March 21 covering all their activities in the area but it will not be an organised sit down meeting.)

Breakspear Road North closure coming

ADVANCE NOTICE from HS2
 

HS2 Notification: Work on behalf of HS2 Ltd – National Grid overhead earthwire works

We’re writing to let you know about National Grid overhead earthwire works on behalf of HS2 Ltd.

National Grid has re-routed and raised the height of a line of electricity pylons in Colne Valley to achieve safety clearance for HS2 Ltd. This month, as part of the final package of our work, we’ll replace the earthwire (the wire at the top of the pylons) over three spans. The section starts north of Harvil Road and ends north of Breakspear Road North. This upgrade work will keep the transmission network in first-class working order and help to meet future electricity demands.. 

Breakspear Road North closure and diversion: From Monday 20 March until Monday 27 March the road will be closed from Breakspear Road/South up to Rickmansworth Road, Harefield.

Use our In your area map to search current and planned HS2 works and developments in your area.

Ickenham library downgrade: Act now!

The consultation link has already been posted on the best village Facebook  https://www.hillingdon.gov.uk/library-strategy but it’s only when you get almost through the survey – which is very top level – that you find that Ickenham is going to be a tier 3 library with reduced opening*.

Please:

a) complete the survey and

b) query why Ickenham is a tier 3

c) please start to use our library more to improve its figures

d) as the Cabinet member for residents services is one of our Ward Cllrs, Eddie Lavery, please write and defend our library ELavery@hillingdon.gov.uk

You have until April 16th

Thanks.


Notes:

*Tier 1 / Flagship Libraries (3 libraries – Botwell Green, Ruislip Manor, Uxbridge): Mon 9-7, Tues 9-7, Weds 9-5, Thurs 9-7, Fri 9-5, Sat 9-5, Sun 10-1 (Ruislip Manor closed on Sun)

Tier 2 (5 libraries – Manor Farm, Northwood, Oak Farm, Yeading, Yiewsley): Mon 10-7, Tues 10-5, Weds 10-5, Thurs 10-7, Fri 10-5, Sat 10-4

Tier 3** (5 libraries – Eastcote, Harlington, Ickenham, Northwood Hills, South Ruislip): Closed either Mon or Weds; open 3 weekdays 10-1 and 2-5pm; 1 weekday 10am-1pm and 2pm-7pm; Sat 10-4

Tier 4 (4 libraries – Charville, Harefield, Hayes End, West Drayton): Closed either Mon or Weds; open 4 weekdays 10am-1pm and 2-5pm, Sat 10am-2pm

**Tier 3 includes Harlington library, subject to consultation about its future/decommissioning of service. Also includes Northwood Hills library, proposed to open throughout lunchtime pending rebuild

Another mega travel update

TfL works on the A40 Western Avenue

These have now started and will be happening until the end of April on sections between Long Lane junction and Greenford Roundabout that will close parts of the road at night. There will also be some lane closures to contend with during the day (see details below):
TfL has now provided some updated details of these roadworks so the Table below is now updated and now shows the sections of the A40 where the works are happening:
 

Road Name AffectedStart DateEnd DateDurationCarriageway Occupation Time and DayWorks Description/Activity taking placeTraffic Management (including direction of traffic affected)
A40 – Target Roundabout to Greenford Roundabout25/02/202322/04/202364 days24hours a dayVRS ReplacementLane 3 closures Eastbound and Westbound
A40 – Long Lane to Target Roundabout24/04/202326/04/20233 Nights22:00 – 05:00installation of new road line marking and removal of temporary barrier Full Directional Closure Eastbound
A40 – Greenford Roundabout to West End Road27/04/202329/04/20233 nights22:00 – 05:00installation of new road line marking and removal of temporary barrier Full Directional Closure Westbound

Temporary 30mph Speed Reduction
Harvil Road now has a temporary speed reduction to 30mph in the section between HS2 Gate 1 (near Shorthill Cottage) and Skip Lane junction. This speed reduction will be shown by 30mph signs being placed on this section of the road by HS2/SCS with the speed reduction in place from when the road reopened on 19/02/23 until works are complete on the realignment of Harvil Road (currently 31/10/23).
 
Breakspear Road South – Ditch Clearance 07/03 & 08/03
 LBH has scheduled some ditch clearance work this week on the section of Breakspear Road South between the Water Pumping Station and Tile Kiln Lane (as shown in Red on the Map below). The works will take place on Tue 07/03 and Wed 08/03 Off-peak during the day, with the use of Stop n Go boards as Traffic Management. 

Breakspear Road South
 HS2/SCS has detailed works on Breakspear Road South that are Programme Critical and must be completed over the next couple of months. The most urgent requirement is to install the Conveyor over Breakspear Road South so that the Conveyor can be connected to the back of the TBMs to carry the materials/spoil from the tunnelling on the Conveyor to the Treatment Area within the Gate 1 Site on Harvil Road. Less urgent but still required are works including a Utilities Trench across the road for the connection for the TBM water supply, a Concrete Pour for the deck of the new HS2 Bridge and Patch Repairs to Pot Holes around Chiltern Bridge area to HS2 Site entrance.
 
Night Time Road Closures Wed 15/03 to Sun 19/03 
LBH has agreed to allow HS2/SCS to carry out Night Time Road Closures of Breakspear Road South from Wed 15/03 to Sun 19/03. The Road will be Closed from 10pm to 5am Wed 15/03 & Thur 16/03, and 10pm to 6am Fri 17/03, Sat 18/03 & Sun 19/03. A Contingency Plan is also in place for following weekend (Night Time Closures 25/03 & 26/03) should this work not be completed. 

The following activities are scheduled to be carried out during this closure:

  • Conveyor installation
  • Installation of Signs and Lines for the Chiltern Bridge Mitigations
  • Installation of Gantry (or Goal Posts) for the Chiltern Bridge Mitigations
  • Concrete Pour for the deck of the new HS2 Bridge

 
Easter School Holidays Road Closure Sat 01/04 AM to Sun 16/04 PM 
Network Rail has approached LBH about closing Breakspear Road South while they undertake essential repairs to the Chiltern Bridge. LBH Officers have consented to collaborative works that will involve Network Rail and HS2/SCS carrying out multiple activities during this road closure. 

  • Activities:
    • Network Rail – Repair of Bridge, Examination of Structure & Vegetation works
    • HS2/SCS – Installation of Utilities Trench for the connection for the TBM water supply, Patch Repairs to Pot Holes around Chiltern Bridge area to HS2 Site entrance 

Moorhall Road – Upcoming works April 2023
 In advance of the Colne Valley Viaduct being built over Moorhall Road later this year, HS2/Align will be starting to prepare the area to be able to accommodate the Viaduct Crossing works.
 
The first stage of this will involve an overnight Road Closure of Moorhall Road by the HS2 Sites on Sun 16/04 from 11.59pm until Mon 17/04 at 5am. This is to install a Narrow Lanes Setup which will see the Eastbound Lane narrowed to allow construction of Columns to support the Viaduct during construction.
 
The Narrow Lanes Setup will then be in place from 17/04 until 27/10 but there should be no disruption to the flow of traffic with the Narrow Lane as 3.5 metres of width will be maintained on each carriageway in this location.
 
LBH Officers are yet to receive full details of the proposals for the Viaduct Crossing works but once I am in a position to communicate the plans I will do so.

Tunnel Boring Machines Launched from West Ruislip
HS2/SCS launched the 2nd  Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) named Caroline at the West Ruislip Portal Site at the end of October 2022 (following the launch of the 1st TBM called Sushila in early October 2022). The 2 TBMs will operate 24 hours a day 7 days a week and will tunnel from West Ruislip towards Green Park Way in the London Borough of Ealing and it is expected that tunnelling works will take until June 2024 to complete. 

Rail Siding Test and Segment Delivery to West Ruislip 
With the TBMs now fully operational, HS2/SCS need to increase the deliveries of Tunnel Segments (the concrete ‘rings’ required by the TBMs to construct the tunnel lining as they progress) to the West Ruislip Portal Site.  

A new Railway Siding now provides direct access from the Chiltern Line into the Segment Yard at West Ruislip so that Tunnel Segments can be directly delivered into Site by Rail rather than by road/lorry. HS2 have recently been testing the Rail Siding over the last few weeks. If these tests are successful HS2 plan to run the train five nights each week although there may be periods when this extends to seven nights per week.  

The plan will be for one train to arrive at West Ruislip each night delivering 20 rings, each comprising of 7 segments. There will be a slight overlap and HS2 will continue with lorry deliveries in the short term until they have built up a stockpile of Segments. The volume of rail traffic on the Chiltern Line through West Ruislip means that the train can only deliver Segments at night so the train will arrive at West Ruislip around 11pm. The locomotive will then divide the train into two parts and shunt them into the Siding. The locomotive will then shut down while the gantry crane unloads the Segments, and the locomotive will restart at around 6am and shunt the train back into one piece prior to departure at around 7am.