Traffic disruption as Thames Water replaces pipes
Several local roads are to be closed early in the new year as Thames Water begins work to replace Victorian water pipes at Seven Stars corner.
Greenside Road will be closed to traffic at the junction with Goldhawk Road when the work starts on 11 January 2010. Part of the westbound lane on Goldhawk Road, from Brading Terrace to Paddenswick Road, will be closed with a diversion in place via Uxbridge Road and Askew Road. Goldhawk Road will be open as usual for eastbound traffic.
Annabel Clarke of the Cathnor Park Action Group lives in Greenside Road. She said: “Our road is used as
a cut-through so at least our street will be quieter, but it will be frustrating
having to go all the way around to get in to the road.
“I know that the works have to be done, it’s just spectacularly bad timing to have
Thames Water refurbishing the pipes at that part of Goldhawk Road. It is very
unfortunate as this work coincides with the building of Hammersmith Academy.
Construction traffic coming back and forth, especially if the trucks have to do a
round trip to get there, could lead to traffic building up."
Five old cast iron pipes at the roundabouts, where Goldhawk Road, Askew Road and Paddenswick Road meet, will be replaced with three much larger plastic ones. Thames Water say the old pipes are at risk of bursting.
Neil Franks, project manager for Thames Water, said: “We are committed to reducing
leakage and we can only achieve this by systematically replacing all of London’s
leakiest, cast iron pipes that date back as far as the Victorian era. Due to the
scale of this work, it won’t happen overnight, but the benefits of the project are
already evident with leakage now at its lowest ever rate.
“We appreciate that work of this nature does bring inevitable disruption, but this huge investment will bring benefits to the area for years to come.”
Temporary traffic lights at the roundabouts will keep traffic flowing as smoothly as possible. Coningham Road will be open one-way northbound, and the 94 and 237 buses will use this route, so that services carry on running during the works, which are due to last for nine weeks.
Hammersmith and Fulham Cabinet member and deputy leader, Councillor Nick Botterill, said: “These pipes are old and do burst, as we saw recently in Stamford Brook Road. The
gallons of leaking water there caused serious damage and disruption for our
residents, so we are eager for Thames Water to carry out this work. We have made it
clear that it should be done as quickly and with as little disruption to residents
as possible.”
Thames Water is holding a drop-in session for residents and businesses on Wednesday
January 6, 10am-8pm, at Thames Water’s mobile information unit at Carpet Right on
Goldhawk Road.
For more information, contact Thames Water’s customer centre on 0845 6410011,
quoting reference number TNU4, or visit Thames Water.
8 December 2009
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