Contractor to replace defective road surface layer next week
A residential road, which was repaired four years ago, will be closed next week so the contractor can replace the surface.
Published: Tuesday, 26th July 2022
Upham Road, in Old Walcot, was shut for several months in 2018 to enable large sections of the 60-year-old sub base underneath the road to be repaired.
Unfortunately, in the years since the work took place, regular inspections of the road surface have revealed it is unlikely to last as long as expected. As a result, the road surface will be replaced by contractor Alun Griffiths Ltd, who carried out the original work and will bear the cost of the latest resurfacing.
The road will be resurfaced from Brixham Avenue to Drove Road from Monday, 1 August and will take four days to complete. A full road closure will be implemented to allow the work to be completed in as short a time as possible.
To limit the disruption to local residents the work will be carried out in two phases with the section of road between Immanuel Church and Brixham Avenue being completed on Monday and Tuesday, and the section between the church and Drove Road being resurfaced on Wednesday and Thursday.
The bus gate at the junction with Queens Drive will be suspended during the first phase of works to allow motorists to enter and leave Upham Rd east of Brixham Avenue.
A signed diversion will be in place for the second phase of work and bus services will be diverted.
Councillor Kevin Parry, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Waste Collection and Disposal & Highways Maintenance, said: “We strive to ensure any work which is carried out on behalf of local residents is always right first time, but in some cases this isn’t always possible.
“Road surface failures are not uncommon and they can occur for a variety of reasons. The important thing is that we have a positive relationship with Alun Griffiths Ltd and the company has worked with us to schedule in this work, at its own cost, during the summer holidays so as to minimise disruption to local residents and the two schools along Upham Road.
“The residents of Upham Road have been incredibly patient throughout and I would like to thank them for bearing with us while we get this issue sorted out for them.”