A40 London Road Corridor Improvements Bulletin #016

Bulletin #016 - 14/07/20

www.buckscc.gov.uk /A40LondonRoad

A40 London Road Corridor Improvements Project
National Productivity Investment Fund

The project seeks to improve journey time reliability and ease congestion on the A40 London Road through the delivery of a range of improvements including junction changes, introduction of new traffic management technology, bus stop improvements and the optimisation of bus lane locations.

This phase of works is focusing on junction construction and builds on the work already completed to date including improvements already made including new CCTV, refurbishment of all signalised pedestrian crossings, variable message signs and queue detection sensors. The stretch from Easton Street to Loudwater includes junction improvements at the Gordon Road, Hatters Lane, Micklefield Road with Ryemead Way and Gomm Road junctions. When all works are fully completed, it will mean better and more reliable journeys for all who use this key route in and out of the town centre.

Upcoming Works and Traffic Management

London Road/ Micklefield Road/ Ryemead Way/ Cock Lane/ London Road junction
Following advanced utility diversion works in the southern footway, main works are due to recommence at this junction on 20^th July 2020 and will continue until October 2020. Work originally began at this junction in February, but had to be paused due to Covid-19 in March. The improvements to be undertaken comprise:

Carriageway widening and traffic lane realignment including the removal of the inbound bus lane. This will provide two westbound lanes through the junction and continuing west along London Road towards the Wye Estate, improving capacity and safety.
Improved signal timings that are adaptive to traffic flow along London Road through the upgrade of signal equipment at the junction.
Removal of priority bus lane and realignment of traffic islands to improve the westbound London Road approach to the junction.
Kerb realignment to improve the layout for eastbound vehicles turning left onto Micklefield Road.

During construction the following traffic management measures are planned:

We have analysed the latest traffic flows and have adjusted our working hours to optimise the works whilst minimising any expected delays. The majority of works will be undertaken during daytime working hours (08.00 to 17.00), however it will be necessary for some work to be carried out at night to take advantage of lower traffic flows, such as:

- Decommissioning existing traffic signals and setting up a temporary traffic signal system

- Recommissioning the new traffic signals
- Installation of line markings

Temporary traffic signals will be deployed for around 6 weeks while the existing traffic signals are refurbished. In order to minimise disruption, these temporary signals will replicate the performance of the existing permanent signals at the junction as closely as possible.
Lane closures will be in place on the approaches to the junction at various times and locations throughout the works.
Footway closures will be used throughout the works, with diversion routes in place.

There are several phases of traffic management planned to deliver the works at this junction, and these will more fully set out in future e-bulletins. The first two phases of work are detailed in the table below.

Gordon Road Road Closure
Work will begin on 27th July at Gordon Road for two weeks. The work at this location will involve the installation of ducting along Gordon Road to enable the co-ordination and linking of technology equipment. This will be followed by approximately 100m of carriageway resurfacing on both lanes of Gordon Road. Work will begin on Monday 27th July and is expected be completed by Friday 7th August.

This work will require a short section (110m) of the road to be closed between the A40 London Road roundabout and the Princes Gate/ Gordon Road junction. Diversion routes will be in place during the closures for all traffic and pedestrians. The diversion route for traffic is London Road, Abbey Way, Queen Victoria Road, Crendon Street, Totteridge Road, Totteridge Avenue.

Detailed planning has been undertaken to decide on the most cost effective and efficient way of delivering these works. Working hours will be between 08:00 – 17:00, but for the first week the road closure will remain in place for 24 hours a day (from 08:00 on Monday 27th July to 17:00 Friday 31st July). This means the materials compound can be located in the working area and the excavated ducting trenches will not need to be reinstated at the end of every day, which will accelerate the completion of the work. For the second week of work (Monday 3rd August – Friday 7th August), the road closure will be in place daily between 08.00 and 17.00 for the duration of the work, but the road will be reopened every evening. We thank you for your understanding and apologise in advance for any inconvenience this upcoming road closure may have.

Further information

We will continue to provide regular project updates through social media and website updates as well as e-bulletins. We will also keep road users informed of works through static and variable message signs erected on the A40. If you would like to find out more information about the project, what has been done to date and what is planned next, please follow the link to the project website and online brochure below.

The A40 London Road corridor improvements project is a partnership project between Buckinghamshire Council and Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership with funding secured from the Local Growth Fund and DfT’s National Productivity Investment Fund.

We have a dedicated mailbox for this project at hitmailbox@buckinghamshire.gov.uk and we welcome emails and queries about the scheme, or you can email if you wish to unsubscribe from this bulletin list. You can also contact the Highways Infrastructure Team on 01296 382416.