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.
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?
And compare notes with what happened in Ladywell too (why weren’t lessons learnt?). It is worth noting that the Mayor got involved and there was some business rate relief as a result:
Discussions with Maja reveal that the council’s 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 plan…
I checked just after the workmen finished today around 4pm and it looks like it’s 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!
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, Sydenham’s bays do seem to have a definite height demarcation between vehicle and pedestrian areas.
I admit I’m 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?
I’m happy to take my questions to the appropriate place (any tips?) but wondered if these already have been addressed by anyone… Curtis maybe, as I know he has been cited elsewhere as a knowledgeable person relevant to the work that’s being done.
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 underway… Cannot be sure that Kier’s 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 council’s 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.
This means that the plan to move forward with the burning and removal of the existing tarmac surfaces could have started on Friday or Saturday. The laying of the new tarmac surface could have followed on on Saturday or Sunday with the road opening up to traffic immediately.
However Kier’s sub-contractor for this phase of the work may not be available to start the works until Tuesday 1 May with a prospective finish three days later.
However the council is attempting to appoint another tarmac contractor. There is also a possibility that if another contract is postponed the original contractor could potentially move to complete the works here.
So - what needs to happen ?
Kier’s are being invited to introduce total exclusion for vehicles from the full site from tomorrow.
If that happens and an alternative contractor can move in the surface removal works can start without hindrance and the tarmac relaying can follow on.
So what can you do to help ?
Do not park any vehicles on any part of the works from tomorrow morning and this includes pavement and bay parking. Please share this info with your neighbours.
There can be no guarantees - but if a contractor becomes available the work can start without hindrance.
Please follow any site notices or instructions that Kier publish or post on-site.
This uncertainty is regrettable - but I have observed @MajaHilton make extraordinary efforts to bring this entire matter to a conclusion.
I don’t doubt it!
But it has to be said that she wouldn’t have known what buttons to press without you putting in your time and expert opinion walking around and inspecting the works with her and Pauline.
It’s been a great team effort from the 3 of you and it’s much appreciated.
Hat tip to @anon51837532 Kudos my friend, great to see members of the community engaging to such a level and offering their knowledge and expertise in order to try and help a bad situation get better.
Heres to the borough learning from this mess. And hopefully someone somewhere being held accountable for it all. The way the local businesses have suffered is shameful at the least.
I am a Programme and Project Manager with several years experience in local government, post-privatisation railway property and English Heritage.
As well as my work in large scale property and property maintenance I have managed the design and integration of computer based work management systems and have also engaged in change management programmes for mid-size organisations. I can and do contribute time and effort to charities - both local and international.
@anon51837532, there is always a place for you on the transport or planning or executive committee of Forest Hill Society
We could do with some help working out how to relocate Forest Hill station and building a new town centre where the existing station is located!
Very impressed with your work to progress the Dartmouth Road scheme.
Thank you - but a step too far @starman - how about if you see me in the bar at AIO - just say hello - it’s always good to put faces to the people you share posts with.
Thanks Mr D - very interesting. And thanks for all your hard work getting some steam back into this project with top team @MajaHilton, @Pauline and anyone else who’s been lending a hand!
