Forum Topic

Road works on North Circular - Ealing Common to Ealing Village

Does anyone know what's happening on the North Circular between Ealing Common and Ealing Village?6 months ago, the second-hand car dealership by the bridge closed (didnt it used to be Webs Gardening?). Then in December, barriers went up and trees came down. Are they planning to widen the road?

David Archer ● 6475d15 Comments

I believe the bridges are being replaced. I don't know if that'll include widening the road. Either way, it's going to take a long, long time. I think I saw 18 months mentioned somewhere. I shall find other routes!

Susan Kelly ● 6474d

I think most locals have been avoiding this section of the North Circular and using other routes for years...

Philip Coe ● 6474d

Hard to see how they're going to replace that bridge without actually closing the road for days or even weeks!

Susan Kelly ● 6474d

TfL are widening one bridge and replacing the other. The weight restriction will be removed and there will be improvements for cyclists.

Steven Cowburn ● 6474d

And won't this involve closing the road for long periods?

Susan Kelly ● 6474d

Here you go....some info...http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/7686.aspxAlso, if anyone wants a soft copy of a leaflet (that I can scan in), pls email me at joanna.dabrowska@ealing.gov.ukHope that helps.

Joanna Dabrowska ● 6471d

Thank's Joanna. Still not clear how they can replace the bridges without closing the road, though.

Susan Kelly ● 6471d

As long as a cold night isn't chosen for putting the new bridges in position the road A406 shouldn't be shut for more than 8 hours for each deck replacement- slide old out, slide new in.One might do well to remember that the company doing the works is French owned...  Vinci.

Alan Brainsby ● 6471d

So it might get done on schedule and on budget?

Susan Kelly ● 6471d

Unless someone remembers Crecy, Agincourt, Trafalgar...

Alan Brainsby ● 6470d

You reckon the French lost at Agincourt and Crecy because they went over budget? And that Napoleon was a famously bad book-keeper?

Susan Kelly ● 6470d

No.The Frenchies have never forgotten the fact that the English, with the help of Welsh archers, beat them at Crecy and Agincourt.And in a repeat performance in the early 1800s they were thoroughly trounced again at Trafalgar and Waterloo.So anything they can do to irritate the English...

Alan Brainsby ● 6470d

What's basically happening is that they are mucking about spending 18 months replacing 2 bridges and generally causing gridlock instead of prefabricating the whole lot off site and assembling on site with a few days disruption - presumably they have taken the "best practice" from the bridge replacements on the A40 which have successfully caused gridlock for the last 2 years.It's interesting to compare this with the time it took the Empire State building with relatively crude construction technology back in the 1930's - 2 weeks to design and 15 months to build. 80 years later it takes months to draw up plans, years to consult and 18 months to build two simple bridges.

Ed Yelland ● 6470d

See:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millau_viaduct OK so they didn't have to remove an old bridge but a new 2.5 km viaduct in 3 years and bit and it probably cost no more than what Tfl are being charged!May be something like that would solve the current problem of North Circular through Ealing - a viaduct from the top of Hanger Hill to Popes Lane. :)

Alan Brainsby ● 6470d

The key point that will hopefully minimise closure of the north circular is that the new bridge will be parallel to the current one, resulting in a slight realignment of the north circular, which is easier to construct than instantly replacing the bridge in the same place.Jon

Jon Ball ● 6469d