update on launton road roadworks direct from sgn
We have received direct communications from SGN's Press Office. We are providing it to you direct and in full;
As you’ll be aware, we’re working to upgrade our gas network in the Launton Road area. Our project will ensure a continued safe and reliable gas supply to Bicester homes and businesses now and into the future, as well as ensuring our network can meet increasing demand as the town grows.
We’ll have two teams working simultaneously in Launton Road for approximately five weeks.
The first team will be working between London Road and Victoria Road. As the road is narrow here, we need to close this section of Launton Road around our work area to keep motorists and engineers safe. A signed diversion will be in place with access maintained via Skimmingdish Lane (A4421).
Our second team will be working between Victoria Road and Longfields under temporary two-way traffic lights. We’ll be manually controlling these lights to ease congestion.
Once we’ve completed the Launton Road phase of the work, we’ll then move to London Road. We’ll be working between Launton Road and the level crossing under temporary two-way traffic lights for three weeks.
We’ll be moving to London Road once we’ve completed our work in Launton Road. We have another four weeks of work in Launton Road before we progress into London Road for three weeks.
Our phase in London Road is a continuation of our work to upgrade our network in Bicester. We’ll be replacing the old metal gas main between Launton Road and the level crossing with modern plastic pipe. As with our work in Launton Road, this will ensure a continued safe and reliable gas supply to Bicester homes and businesses now and as the town grows in the future.
To ensure everyone’s safety around our work area, we need to implement two-way temporary traffic lights in London Road between Launton Road and the level crossing. We will be manually controlling these lights during peak traffic times to ease congestion in the area.
Our dedicated project page can be found here: https://www.sgn.co.uk/Roadworks/Southern-projects/Bicester,-Launton-Road/
Write a comment
jill ellis (Tuesday, 20 October 2015 11:16)
That's good organisation, London Road, from Launton Road hast been resurfaced within the last month!
Karen (Tuesday, 20 October 2015 13:48)
whoever has organised these roadworks couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery
Stephen W-J (Tuesday, 20 October 2015 14:22)
It's inconceivable that the Town Council didn't know about this. The time for digging up London road was when the level crossing was closed - doh! I don't believe in conspiracies but one could think this is a test to see how we manage permanently without London Road as a through-road!!!
Peter Lloyd (Wednesday, 21 October 2015 12:02)
Oxfordshire CC have a Traffic Manager whose sole job is to coordinate works to ensure minimum disruption. His name is David Tole, but staff were not forthcoming in giving out his phone number or email address. I used to work in the gas industry, and would have jumped at the chance to do gas works while a road closure was in place. If BicesterTag can use their influence to organise a meeting with Oxford CC and SGN, I would be quite happy to come along and lend my experience to decide if we are being fobbed off or their actions have been reasonable.
Nigel (Sunday, 25 October 2015 05:41)
So this is saying that despite being closed for the level crossing work, OCC did not insist on the gas company working on London road then?
Unbelievable!
Rob D (Thursday, 12 November 2015 11:18)
The above statement definitely states that the work (digging up a brand new, resurfaced) London road would only be started once the work on the Launton road was completed.
The London road is now almost impassible between the Level Crossing closing the road and the new road works on the (town centre) side and both sets of lights aren't synchronized which means a long wait for everyone.
Also, the Launton road repairs are far from finished and yet the road works on the London road have been allowed to go ahead so now there are effectively two main arterial roads closed.
Is there any point in you making these statements so the shopping public know wether or not they can actually get into Bicester Town Centre if youre not going to stick to them and simply dig up the roads as and when you wish?
Geoff B (Thursday, 10 December 2015 14:59)
This 3 week works in London Road are now into their sixth, and no end in site. The incompetence is staggering. Work stops if it rains. Barriers and signs litter the pavement, causing hazards. Disabled access is non existent. Vehicles are being directed to mount the pavement in Station Approach, with no pedestrian concern. This must be against any Health & Safety policy, not to mention criminal procescution should injury occurr. Workers always on their mobile phones or sat on chairs instead of concentrating on controlling traffic. No actual pedestrian or disabled access to the new station as all the paths have been dug up (obviously after the fanfare of the grand opening). The Station and Gas works need shutting down, an enquiry established into how this debacle has arrisen before a safe, controlled, period of works are resumed, before a serious injury, or worse occurs. Town Council are impotent or just not bothered, Oxfordshire Council don't care, and Oxfordshire Highways are clearly incompetent. And remember, all this is only happening for economic gain.