The Road will be open on 10th June.
@InTheNightGarden - on 19 April you posted that the road would open on 10th August (year unspecified) and today you post that it will open on 10th June (year unspecified).
Its curious - do you have an inside line to Kierās ? Or are you just testing the forum to see if we pay attention to what you say ?
Or are you running a sophisticated Monte Carlo algorithm on known data about progress and it produces a different result everytime you run it ?
Just curious.
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Is the remaining hole right in the middle of the road? If not, why keep the whole road closed. The cost to Kier of getting the resurfacing kit out twice surely needs to be weighed against the ongoing cost to local businesses of keeping the road completely closed.
How many days have we slipped from the planned reopening date?
Iām just pulling dates out of thin air - just like Keir does 
Just trying to lighten a depressing situation. Has anyone claimed responsibilty for the hole opposite The Hill? It seems that it is the only thing that needs attention (to a layman) apart from moving the excess slabs from outside The Bird in Hand. Iām waiting for them to put a notice on them - Free to a good home. They would look lovely in my garden! Iām sure they could be shifted overnight if they gave us permission.
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The hole is on one carriageway and the responsibility is ultimately Kierās Thames Water was for a time in the frame for delays and outstanding works - but new information says there may be other factors now.
Material is stored nearby on the other carriageway - but it probably could be moved quickly.
Plan to visit this afternoon whilst passing through if possible to a have another look.
@InTheNightGarden - understood and the efficacy of your approach could be the equal of or better than that of Kierās.
ALL the contracting parties need to make a concerted and determined effort to finish this and open the road.
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The latest information I managed to get is as follows
- the hole in front of Heron House (opposite the Hill) is indeed what is causing delays to resurfacing work. It is to do with drainage and there are some piping issues. Some parts were delivered today that had been ordered on Friday, but one bit was short delivered. To his credit Curtis has sent a man in a van to pick up this item from North London.
I have been reassured that once this part is on site, they can crack on to install it and then fill the hole with quick setting concrete. The plan is still to start the resurfacing on Wednesday night and to open the road for the weekend.
There will be still some work going on for possibly 2 more weeks, laying the last bit of paving and correcting the bits that have either not been finished or need remedial work. All this can be done while the road is open.
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Better news Maja - thank you.There can always be last minute hiccoughs - and info on the quick setting concrete is welcome.
Evidence of qualities and delivery on your part that deserve to be classified as āover and aboveā¦ā.
I trust that if you have taken up a watching brief that you have a flask of good tea or coffee with you.
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After all the promise that the resurfacing will start Wednesday night, this email was sent to the Council officer later yesterday
I would just like to confirm that the drainage connection on Dartmouth Road next to Heron House will be completed by tomorrow midday that will then allow us to backfill and compact the sub base to the lower layers of the road construction.
As we will need to reinstate the carriageway to match the existing concrete carriageway by fixing Dowel bars and placing C32- C 40 High strength Concrete, the concrete will need time to cure before placing the Layers of Binder Course and Surface Course
The Concrete needs a minimum of 7 days Curing as we are using high early strength concrete we can reduce the curing time to 3 days dependant on weather conditions we would recommend that the resurfacing is carried out next Monday 30th April for 3 nights plus 1 night contingency starting south end of the project allowing extra time for the concrete to cure in the middle of the project .
Cutis will amend all surfacing information notices and extending the permit with our permitting manager.
I hate being lied to. In my professional time I have never given out deadlines I knew I could not keep. In fact I always would build in some contingency as I liked to sleep over on the finished reports before issuing them.
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Oh how frustrating - you have my sympathy Maja. Well done for keeping the pressure up though!
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Isnāt the overrun now almost as long as the project time?
Given the detriment to business I cannot believe that Lewisham Council would not consider compensation. As someone previously mentioned Kier is likely to be paying penalties. Why shouldnāt those penalties go to the businesses affected by this?
The local election is next week. I canāt help but feel that Kier is taking advantage of a system which is impotent in the weeks prior to an election.
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Very disappointing @MajaHilton
But an issue not of your making and certainly outside your control.
I welcomed yesterday the reference to the quick setting concrete as it would avoid an extended curing period. However the introduction of the dowels to the specification, whilst viewed by the officers as being necessary, means that a clean edge cut to the existing concrete bed will be required. The drilling and insertion of these dowels could prove to be time consuming.
It is entirely foreseeable that this will not be an operation than can be completed rapidly.
As discussed yesterday about being fobbed off - it is entirely probable that the estimated times for the combined task is not adequate and will take longer than stated by the officer.
Kier will have to provide assurances that they have the required concrete cutting and drilling kit available and have the details of the dowelling agreed with and or approved by the council.
It is also noted that the council has returned to a three night estimate to execute the re-surfacing (with another 1 day contingency added making it 4 days) - as discussed we know this should take a maximum of two nights - including laying road markings.
Overall therefore the response from the council can only be viewed as not only being mendacious but unrealistic.
I plan to visit the site this morning in response to this post and take a view on the condition of the existing concrete bed.
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I have always been a (cautious) supporter of the changes being made to Dartmouth Road, but I think the delay in actually getting them done has become faintly scandalous. It seems to be causing financial loss to local businesses and is certainly causing various degrees of inconvenience to local residents. Reasons cited for the delays have included bad weather, failure to supply materials on time and failure, it appears, to liaise effectively with utility companies. Overall there seems to have been a very low quality of project management. I wonder whether after the elections Lewisham borough should not be asked to do an investigation of what went wrong and why, and to make the results publicly available?
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And compare notes with what happened in Ladywell too (why werenāt lessons learnt?). It is worth noting that the Mayor got involved and there was some business rate relief as a result:
The only problem with that is that quite a few micro businesses on DR already have rates rebates and donāt pay any businesses rates.
I just want the road to reopen ASAP as residents and traders are all suffering from this extended road closure.
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Iād probably include landlords too for at least one seems to proactively work with their tenants for the betterment of all.
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Site visit at lunchtime today with Maja.
Discussions with Maja reveal that the councilās project manager (PM) plans to move the road opening to next Tuesday night.
However despite earlier concerns (expressed by me) that the dowelling proposal might introduce significant delay, the contractor has today drilled the concrete beds and the dowels are in place. See picture evidence. The back-fill has almost reached the levels where concrete can be poured and reinforcement mesh was being laid.
There was minimalist evidence that the existing concrete beds had any reinforcement but there was a small quantity evident.
Maja has written once more to the council PM suggesting that if the rapid setting concrete can be poured by end of business today or by early tomorrow morning latest, then the road surface stripping operation can start on Friday. There will be no need for the surface stripping machine to traverse the new concrete.
Given these revised proposals it is estimated that the road re-surface work (the actual laying of tarmac by a large machine) can start by Saturday and if the road marking team works in tandem the road could be opened immediately then. This would represent a three day improvement.
The downside will be whether the road team is available to work (and that could be night and/or day given that the road remains closed) and that adverse weather does not move in - the forecast suggest it will be ok - and whether and if the council PM is willing to sanction the revised planā¦
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Thanks @anon51837532 for your time and expertise. The above is definitely not certain at the moment.
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Thanks @anon51837532 & @MajaHilton
I checked just after the workmen finished today around 4pm and it looks like itās filled now ready to reset with just a few inches below the normal Road surface.
John, massive thanks for your expertise yet again & explaining everything to me in simple details today & Maja thanks for the chat last night.
After speaking to both of you earlier today I spoke with Kevin and he has told me the Road is due to have the Tarmac starting to be laid on Thursday night & is booked in for then, so fingers crossed!
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I realise getting the road opened is the immediate albeit ongoing concern but has there been any communication to the contractor of my previous mention of what I see as faulty engineering of the drainage falls which are causing water pooling and build up of deposited dirt due to same.
The same question to my other query that there is no height differentiation between vehicle parking / loading bays and pedestrian footpath. It was mentioned before in reply to me that Sydenham has the same style bays which seem to have worked out ok but, with the exception of a disabled parking bay which is level with the pavement, Sydenhamās bays do seem to have a definite height demarcation between vehicle and pedestrian areas.
I admit Iām not looking forward to the visually unappealling yellow lines that no doubt are due in Dartmouth Road, but will these indicate that it is not permissible for a vehicle to encroach into the footway when parking in bays?
Iām happy to take my questions to the appropriate place (any tips?) but wondered if these already have been addressed by anyoneā¦ Curtis maybe, as I know he has been cited elsewhere as a knowledgeable person relevant to the work thatās being done.
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There are possibly three areas where levels will have to be adjusted (including the one you picture) . We observed last week that some re-setting of levels will be necessary and indeed some remedial work was underwayā¦ Cannot be sure that Kierās will have received notification directly - but it should be picked up in snagging.
The road marking diagram is not in circulation so cannot answer your questions on those points.
Les Senior is the councilās PM and possibly it should be to him that your points be directed. Curtis will have limited capability to receive instructions from outside the contracted parties.
PS: we have highlighted that oil, grease and construction marks will have to be cleaned off granite slabs and setts.
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