Hello,
I am sure many of you will have found this page from my recent Facebook post on SGN gas works on the A24 Worthing. Below I will provide updates and progress on works completion.
A few days after the beginning of SGN gas work on the A24 in Worthing, I headed down to Broadwater Road in Worthing to see the new SGN roadworks in action. This is the 800m main gas pipeline replacement close to Bohunt School and extending into Sompting Avenue which is scheduled to take 23 weeks. I have written about my meetings with SGN to discuss why the work is over such a long period and how they are minimising disruption to motorists and residents.
I was pleasantly surprised that the traffic was flowing well and SGN had reduced the amount of lane closure. Importantly the company has pledged to give weekly updates on how the work is progressing and liaise with residents as much as possible. I have introduced a special section on my website for updates with a video from last week and will post news on Facebook too, so please let me know if things are not being handled well. The aim of the work is to replace a main gas pipe which is now over 100 years old and where the seals have been failing requiring regular digging up of the road when leaks occur. Hopefully that should become a thing of the past when the work is completed.
Latest updates:
Overview
Phase one – A24 lane closures [[Finished]]
From Monday 8 January 2024 for approximately six weeks.
Engineers will be working along the A24 in the centre two lanes from the junction of Queen Street to opposite Bohunt School.
For everyone's safety, SGN will need to close one lane southbound and one lane northbound.
SGN will also need to close Queen Street and Georgia Avenue at their junction with the A24. This will mean no access in or out of these roads onto the A24.
Phase two – A24 lane closures
From Monday 19 February for approximately six weeks.
SGN will continue to work on the A24 in the centre two lanes from the junction of the Bohunt School entrance to the junction of Sompting Avenue and Carnegie Road.
For everyone's safety, SGN will need to close one lane southbound and one lane northbound.
During this phase, Sompting Avenue will be made one-way eastbound only between the junctions of A24 and Beaumont Road. Traffic from Carnegie Road will only be able to turn left onto the A24.
Phase three – Sompting Avenue
From approximately Tuesday 2 April for approximately ten weeks.
SGN will be working on Sompting Avenue from the junctions of the A24 to Beaumont Road.
Sompting Avenue will remain one-way eastbound only between the junctions of the A24 and Beaumont Road.
Friday 9 February: week four update
SGN have started to abandon and replace the 21m section of metallic gas main and the remaining connections for Queen Street and Georgia Avenue. This is a complex operation and SGN expect it to be completed by the weekend.
Our contractor DJ Utilities is providing additional labour to complete our work in time. Reinstatement of the road will follow but will take a few days due to the construction of the carriageway.
This weekend, SGNs team will begin renewing supplies to four properties in Broadwater Road and will excavate further up on the A24 outside Bohunt School.
Our repair team have internally sealed 13 joints over 50m heading southbound on the section of the gas main not being replaced on this project. This will hopefully futureproof the existing gas network, reducing the chances of joints leaking in the future.
Friday 2 February: week three update
SGN continue to prepare the main A24 Broadwater Road, with the temporary lane closures in each direction still in place.
A large section of road has been excavated in preparation for an operation on Tuesday 6 February to abandon and replace 21m of metal mains in Broadwater Road and the last remaining 16m metal mains feeding both Georgia Avenue and Queen Street.
On Tuesday 30 January, Georgia Avenue was cleared and reopened for traffic turning left into and out of it.
Additional signs requested by West Sussex County Council have been put in place on the diversion route.
While SGN have the excavation open, our repair team have proposed internally sealing joints on the metal main heading south towards Worthing town centre. There is a joint every 13 feet with the potential to leak and sealing the joints at this point would reduce the risk of more leaks in the future on the section of main not due to be replaced on this project.
Friday 26 January: week two update
SGN are continuing to make good progress during our project. The outside lanes of the A24, both northbound and southbound, have now been temporarily closed to allow for our work on the A24 Broadwater Road.
A 70m section of our main was replaced in Georgia Avenue and services were transferred to the new plastic main. The road has since been reinstated and most of the barriers on this section have been cleared. The temporary road closures for both Georgia Avenue and Queen Street need to remain in place for the time being.
We have progressed with excavations on Broadwater Road. The gas main is deep at the point of our excavations and is a larger pipe than expected. It is a complex engineering task but SGN still expect to complete this section as expected.
At the request of West Sussex County Council, SGN are placing additional signage on the diversion route.
Monday 15 January: week one update
SGN have begun their works and made a good start during the first week on site. Our engineers have mainly been working within the junction of Queens Street. This is a particularly challenging junction with multiple critical utilities and major gas connection joints under the road.
Trial holes have been excavated to allow investigations and camera surveys to be carried out, and the focus this week is on carrying out important preparation work.