Update: Friday 24 January
Following on from yesterday's udpate, the team are making excellent progress despite the complexities of the work involved on this site. We've managed to install 115 metres of large diameter gas pipe, while navigating the challenges of the significant critical infrastructure located underground, such as old tram lines and major high voltage cables supplying electricity to Portsmouth properties.
We're continuing to work closely with Portsmouth City Council and Colas. From Tuesday 28 January, we're increasing the size of our engineering team on site to ensure our plans remain on track.
Update: Thursday 23 January
We're continuing essential work to replace our medium pressure and low pressure metallic pipes in London Road, Hilsea. By replacing these pipes, we'll be able to provide a safe and efficient gas supply for Portsmouth residents and businesses for many years to come, and prevent disruptive emergency repair work in future.
We recognise this project has caused significant traffic congestion so far and we're doing everything we can to minimise the impact of our upgrade work. We're regularly reviewing the traffic management and making changes where possible. Following recent conversations with Portsmouth City Council and Colas, we have:
- Opened the southbound bus lane under the flyover to try and ease congestion at peak times
- Increased the signage on the approach to Portsbridge Roundabout to encourage drivers to use alternative routes
- Rescheduled other non-essential works planned in the area to avoid any additional impact on the local road network
A reminder of our phases of work for this project can be found below:
Phase one: Monday 6 January to Monday 31 March
We're replacing 430m of medium-pressure gas main on London Road from Northern Parade to Portsbridge Roundabout. We're using an open cut method, involving digging trenches in the ground, to complete this work.
We will have one lane closed northbound and one lane closed southbound to allow us to complete these works safely. The northbound lane will reopen during peak hours to help traffic flow out of Portsmouth.
Phase two: from Tuesday 1 April - end date to be confirmed
We'll be replacing the low-pressure gas pipes on London Road from Northern Parade to Portsbridge Roundabout. This work will be completed using an insertion method, which will significantly reduce the time to complete this phase.
We are currently reviewing traffic management proposals for these works but expect them to be similar to phase one - we’ll keep you updated here as work progresses, including an end date once confirmed.
We are unable to complete both the medium pressure and low-pressure replacement work at the same time – our engineers will complete the medium-pressure replacement first in phase one, and we’ll carry on to complete the low-pressure replacement in phase two.
Bus routes may be affected – our work may result in bus stop suspensions and changes to timetables. We advise passengers to contact their service provider for the latest updates/changes to service.
We’re sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your continued patience and understanding.
Original post
Following further gas escapes identified on the gas mains along London Road in Hilsea, we will be replacing all of the old metallic gas pipes with new plastic pipes to ensure we can continue to provide a safe and efficient gas supply to the community. By replacing the old metal pipes we can provide a permanent solution to gas leaks on these mains in the future.
To enable us to plan the replacement work, further investigations and camera surveys of the gas mains are planned.
Due to the location of the gas pipes in the road, traffic management measures will be required around our survey locations. To help minimise the disruption for road users, we’ve planned the surveys in the following phases.
Phase one – from Tuesday 6 November
London Road: bus lane closure
A temporary bus stop suspension will be required.
We’ll be working from outside the Melted Sandwich shop to outside Parade Court.
Phase two – from Monday 11 November
London Road: northbound lane closure
We’ll be working in a small section outside the Shell garage.
Phase three – from Monday 18 November
Northern Parade – temporary bus lane closure
Temporary bus stop suspension on the junction of London Road.
We’ll be working along a section of Northern Parade from the junction of Hilsea Crescent to the junction of London Road.
Phase four – Monday 18 November
Military Road will be temporarily closed at its junction with London Road. There will be no vehicle access in and out of Military Road.
London Road – lane closure for northbound traffic from the end of the bus stop outside Southdown View to approximately 10m past Military Road.
We understand how disruptive ongoing gas works have been for residents and assure you we’ll be doing all we can to minimise disruption and complete our investigations as quickly as possible.
Once we have planned the replacement work, we’ll update you accordingly here.
We’re sorry for any inconvenience we may cause and thank you for your patience and understanding.
