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.

• View or download our advance works notification here:
• https://www.hs2.org.uk/work-items/work-on-behalf-of-hs2-ltd-national-grid-overhead-earthwire-works/
• Visit your local community webpages to find information about HS2 works, developments and opportunities in your area. 

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

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:
 

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 2^nd  Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) named Caroline at the West Ruislip Portal Site at the end of October 2022 (following the launch of the 1^st 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.

HS2 Works Notification: Overnight road closure on Breakspear Road South

We wrote to you recently to advise you that we would be carrying out works along Breakspear Road South, north and south of the Network Rail bridge from 27 to 30 January 2023. However, we need to reschedule these works and they will now take place overnight from 15 to 20 March 2023.
These works will include the following activities:

• concrete pour for the deck of the new bridge over Breakspear Road South;
• utility investigation works between the HS2 bridge and the Network Rail bridge;
• installation of the conveyor bridge (for the removal of tunnel excavation arisings from West Ruislip Portal to the Southern Sustainable Placement Area). These works are dependent on weather conditions and we will therefore need to work 25 and 26 March to complete the installation; and
• installation of road line markings and highways signage onto the masonry of the Network Rail bridge.
  During the road closure access will be maintained for residents and emergency services.
  Please see details of the works at https://www.hs2.org.uk/work-items/overnight-road-closure-on-breakspear-road-south/
  Our work is subject to change – for live traffic information go-to https://one.network/ and please check on-the-road signs.

HS2 Works Notification: Thames Water works on The Greenway
Thames Water will be returning to The Greenway to carry out further work on the manhole outside no 43, next week.
Thames Water need to fill the manhole with concrete at this location. To do this, they will use a pump on Tuesday 7 March. The vehicle carrying concrete will 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 as before it 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 but residents will be able to access their driveways at all times.
Footpaths on both sides of the road will remain open.
Work will take place on Tuesday 7 March. The traffic management will be setup on Monday 6 March and removed on Wednesday 8 March.
Please see details of the works at https://www.hs2.org.uk/work-items/thames-water-works-on-the-greenway/

(Apologies for the capitalisations. We’re just the messenger here.)

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.

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. There is also a Contingency Plan in place for following weekend (Night Time Closures 25/03 & 26/03) should this work not be completed.

Water Mains Repair works on A40 Western Avenue

LBH has been alerted to Water Main repair works for Affinity Water (approved by TfL as it is its road) that will close the Slip Road connecting the Polish War Memorial Roundabout with the westbound carriageway to the A40 Western Avenue.
The Slip Road will be closed from Tue 28/02 at 8am, with the Permit in place until Fri 03/03 at 4.30pm (but hopefully completed sooner).
From the Traffic Management Plan: traffic heading west will be able to exit the westbound carriageway at the Polish War Memorial Roundabout and continue southbound onto West End Road.

Please see the updates below regarding HS2 in Hillingdon over the next week and beyond. Please note the upcoming Road Closures of Harvil Road from the 30/01 and Newyears Green Lane from 31/01, but that the scheduled Night Closures on Breakspear Road South this weekend have now been postponed.

Breakspear Road South – Night Time Road Closures – CANCELLED THIS WEEKEND

The scheduled Night Time Closures of Breakspear Road South this weekend (Friday 27/01/23, Saturday 28/01/23 & Sunday 29/01/23) have been postponed.

LBH Officers have raised concerns at the amount of activities that would have been carried out under these closures this weekend and further discussion and planning will now happen between LBH & HS2/SCS to ascertain the full programme of works required at this location, and when best these works can be coordinated so that they cause as little disruption as is possible. I will keep you updated on progress in future updates.

Harvil Road Realignment Works Programme – ROAD CLOSURE IN PLACE FROM MONDAY 30/01

Background – HS2/SCS have presented details of their programme of works for the Realignment of Harvil Road due for completion by October 2023. There are a lot of works that will involve Traffic Management on the current Harvil Road in 2 areas where the new road will ‘tie-in’ with the existing road, around the Skip Lane junction (which is being rebuilt and will be incorporated into the new Realigned Harvil Road which will run over the Chiltern Railway Line on a new Bridge) and near the Dogs Trust (where HS2 Gate 2 is being relocated, and various other Utilities works are being done).

The works change over from the current phase of 4-Way Traffic Lights to a FULL ROAD CLOSURE between Shorthill Cottage and Certas Oil Depot from Monday 30/01/23 at approximately 6am. The road will then be closed for 3 weeks until the 19/02/23.

Skip Lane Phase 4

3 weeks – FULL ROAD CLOSURE – 30/01/23 to 19/02/23
Tie-ins at Shorthill Cottage & Certas Oil Depot to move traffic onto new ‘Swan Neck’ Skip Lane design

• Existing road demolition
• Highway & drainage construction
• Surfacing, lining and street furniture
• Site fencing realignment
• Electric (SSEN) & 355mm Water crossing
  30/01/23 to 19/02/23 = FULL ROAD CLOSURE

Newyears Green Lane – ROAD CLOSURE IN PLACE FROM MONDAY 31/01

There are planned works by SSE scheduled from 31/01/23 to 06/02/23 that will close Newyears Green Lane, with the area of the closure between the LBH Civic Amenity Site and the HS2 Site (as shown on the Map below).

At the same time Harvil Road has a full road closure in place by Skip Lane junction (between 30/01 and 19/02) so this closure of Newyears Green Lane should not be as impactful as it would be if Harvil Road was fully open from the south.

Upcoming works on A40 Western Avenue

TfL have scheduled works on the A40 Western Avenue from mid-February until the end of April between Denham Roundabout and East Acton 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):

A40 Western Avenue 13/02/2023 to 17/03/2023 (5 nights 22:00 – 05:00) installation of Narrow lanes line marking and installation of Temp VRS barrier in lane 3 – Full Directional Closure Eastbound
A40 Western Avenue 20/02/2023 to 24/02/2023 (5 nights 22:00 – 05:00) installation of Narrow lanes line marking and installation of Temp VRS barrier in lane 3 – Full Directional Closure Westbound
A40 Western Avenue 25/02/2023 to 22/04/2023 (64 days 24hours a day) VRS Replacement Lane 3 – closure back to back
A40 Western Avenue 24/04/2023 to 26/04/2023 (3 Nights 22:00 – 05:00) installation of new road line marking and removal of temporary barrier – Full Directional Closure Eastbound
A40 Western Avenue 27/04/2023 to 29/04/2023 (3 nights 22:00 – 05:00) installation of new road line marking and removal of temporary barrier – Full Directional Closure Westbound

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.

There is a new Railway Siding that has now been constructed that will provide 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 are now ready to test the Rail Siding and plan to carry out the first tests over the next couple of 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.

Utilities Updates:

HS2 (through its contractors SCS) is undertaking a series of essential Utilities works in advance of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) travelling from near West Ruislip Tube Station under the ground towards Old Oak Common in Acton. Any present Utilities along the route (such as gas, electricity, water and sewerage pipes) have to either be diverted or be renewed or reinforced so that the vibration from the movement of the TBM travelling underneath them will not cause breakages and damage to the existing pipework.
More info’:

https://www.hs2.org.uk/work-items/main-site-activities-in-the-west-ruislip-area/
https://www.hs2.org.uk/work-items/main-site-activities-in-the-breakspear-road-area/
https://www.hs2.org.uk/work-items/main-site-activities-in-the-harvil-road-area/