S130584 A23 Handcross Widening Scheme - Feb 2014assets.highways.gov.uk/.../A23-Handcross-Widening-Scheme-Feb-20… · Planings are carefully removed and recycled A23 Handcross to

Safe roads, reliable journeys, informed travellers

An executive agency of the Department for Transport

A23Handcross to Warninglid

Widening SchemeFebruary 2014

Planings are carefully removed and recycled

A23 Handcross to Warninglid Widening Scheme

Works undertaken in 2013• Completed earthworks and temporary widening of the southbound carriageway

• Constructed central reserve crossovers points to allow traffi c to move into a contrafl ow on the opposite carriageways

• Moved northbound A23 traffi c in stages into contrafl ow on the southbound carriageway

• Completed Warninglid northbound slip roads and roundabout, and the connection to B2115 Cuckfi eld Lane

• Opened the service road (Nursery Lane) from Warninglid roundabout to properties and businesses on the west side of A23

• Constructed three retaining walls, one near Handcross Church and two near Orange Gill Wood

• Strengthened and widened both Slaugham bridges

• Rebuilt the widened northbound carriageway in stages throughout the scheme

• Reconstructed and opened the new junction between the northbound A23 and B2110 at Handcross including the rebuilding of the VOSA weighbridge site

• Installed two river and stream crossings under both carriageways using thrust bore techniques

• Constructed the western sections of the equestrian subway, River Ouse culvert and multi species tunnel on Handcross Hill under the northbound carriageway

• Diverted 4km of BT ducting including two major sub-surface directional drilling operations, 1,500m of water pipeline and 900m of electrical cable

IntroductionWelcome to our latest newsletter bringing you up to date with progress on the A23 widening scheme.

In our last newsletter in March 2013 we told you of our plans to catch up from delays caused by the poor weather during the latter part of 2012 by rephasing our works through 2013. We have been successful in achieving those plans due to a good dry summer and we have now completed three of the fi ve Construction Phases. We have achieved the targets we set ourselves and caught up with the start date we had originally planned for Phase 4.

In this newsletter we will cover what we achieved during 2013 and what we have left to do before we complete the works in Autumn this year.

JAN FEB MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY

JULY AUGUST SEPT OCT

New northbound carriageway showing improved approach to Handcross


Phase 4 worksJanuary 2014 to July 2014

• Switch all A23 traffi c to run in both directions in contrafl ow on the northbound carriageway

• Complete earthworks to the southbound carriageway, remove the temporary widening and complete rebuilding to widened three lanes

• Construct extended Handcross southbound entry slip road at Brighton Road. Access to the A23 from Brighton Road will be closed from February 2014 to July 2014 – access to all properties and businesses will be retained

• Construct the eastern sections of the equestrian subway, River Ouse culvert and multi species tunnel on Handcross Hill, under the southbound carriageway

• Provide new pedestrian, equestrian and cycleway route between Warninglid and Slaugham, and pedestrian and cycleway route between Slaugham and Handcross

Phase 5 worksJuly 2014 to October 2014

• Switch traffi c to lanes one and two of the widened northbound and southbound carriageways

• Construct concrete wall central reserve barrier

• Complete scheme by opening three lanes in each direction

Warninglid northbound junction

Contrafl ow on the southbound carriageway


Traffic managementTemporary traffi c management with narrow lanes remains in place on both carriageways with a speed limit of 40mph for the safety of road users and the workforce. The traffi c management arrangements will remain in place until the end of the construction works and average speed cameras continue to monitor the speed limit. Compliance with the speed limit remains exceedingly high at over 99 per cent.

Overnight lane closures and full carriageway closures have been taking place with the diversion route

for the overnight closures, between junction 11 of the M23 and the A272 at Bolney, via the A264, A24 and A272, continuing to operate successfully.

The last major traffi c switch occurred at the end of January when the A23 traffi c contrafl ow was moved from the southbound to the northbound carriageway. The northbound slip roads at Handcross and Warninglid are now open.

The rebuilding of the southbound on slip (Brighton Road) at Handcross started in February and will take until the summer to complete with a diversion via the M23 junction 11. Access to all properties and businesses on Brighton Road will be kept open during the closures. Access to the Statue shop at Handcross Market Garden will be available via the A23 southbound carriageway.

Again we would like to thank drivers for their patience and in particular, apologise to the residents and businesses in Handcross village for the disruption from additional traffi c in the village during the closure of the northbound slip roads to the B2110.

‘My Zone’ receiver attached to a hard hat

Laying new surfacing: roadworkers safety is

imperative

Retaining steel mesh faced wall

Reinforced block face retaining wall


SafetyConstruction sites are dangerous places and we work hard behind the scenes to make the site as safe a place for our workforce as we can. We hold detailed inductions before anybody can work on site and daily briefi ngs so that everybody is aware of the tasks and risks ahead. During construction we have introduced various safety initiatives such as the “My Zone” system which is a receiver attached to hard hats which sets off a vibrating buzz to warn people when they are close to a piece of heavy equipment.

Engineering - Retaining wallsBecause land take from the ancient woodland at Orange Gill Wood has been kept to a minimum, space is limited to construct the new northbound carriageway so two retaining walls have been built to support it.

The fi rst of these, just north of Staplefi eld Road, has a sloping mesh faced wall with geogrid reinforcement built up in layers behind it. Topsoil, pre-seeded with grass, has been laid behind the wall so that the grass can grow through the face of the wall to give a green fi nish.

The second wall, further north up Handcross Hill, has a vertical face which is more appropriate for the alignment and height of the new road and the limited space available for its construction. It is built with blocks which have been chosen to provide a pleasing aesthetic fi nish in keeping with the surrounding wooded environment and a similar geogrid reinforcement to the wall to the south. This is pinned down by the blocks which are topped off with coping and a handrail.

So far we have worked over 925,000 hours without there being an accident or incident that has to be reported and we are now working towards the one million hours target and beyond later in the year.

Pupils from Warninglid Primary School visited

the A23 site back in March 2013

VOSA weighbridge site at Handcross


to 2 metres high at the northern end of Nursery Lane where the pedestrian and equestrian route starts towards Staplefi eld Road.

VOSAThe VOSA weighbridge site at Handcross has nearly been completed with the concrete area for the weighbridge and vehicle parking completed and the new weighbridge cabin installed.

CommunityIn March 2013, children from Warninglid Primary School visited the A23 site to bury a time capsule. Sarah Ashworth, Carillion’s Public Liaison Offi cer on site, visited the school in the morning to chat to the 10 and 11 year old children about their ideas for transport in the future and how these ideas could be drawn up and put in the time capsule. The children were really imaginative and artistic and some had even considered horses, supplying them with jet boots enabling them to fl y. Later in the day the children excitedly visited the site to bury the time capsule at Warninglid junction.

In July 2013 Cubs from the 1st Ardingly Scout Group, who had been working towards their Challenge Creative Badge visited site. They were given a brief talk about the scheme which included details about how construction and building sites may look like fun places to play but to beware as there are many hidden dangers.

Visual screenThe visual screen is a 1.5 metre high treated timber fence built between the widened northbound A23 and Nursery Lane (the service road). It would restrict the glare from headlights of traffi c heading in opposite directions on the A23 and Nursery Lane and also reduce the views of moving vehicles. The visual screen rises

They were shown different types of machinery, danger signs, the special protective clothing the site team have to wear, and were told about the dangers of playing near water in the drainage ponds being built near the new road.

New northbound carriageway with ‘varioguard’

temporary barrier awaiting traffi c transfer

Cubs from the 1st Ardingly Scout Group


Once the talk was complete, the Cubs were taken out to the site where they could see the works undertaken at Slaugham Bridges and the construction of one of the four drainage ponds. Back at the site offi ce, the Cubs were provided with a hard hat fi tted with “My Zone” receivers and took it in turns to see how close they could get to a static excavator before their hard hat buzzed. To fi nish the visit, they were all given a Considerate Constructors Fun pack and a top safety tips leafl et.

In September, the A23 project joined over 75 construction sites across England to participate in the National Open Doors Weekend, a unique opportunity for the construction industry to display the complexity, excitement and scope of modern projects, by opening its doors to the local schools and the public to give people a taste of what it’s really like to work in the industry.

The fi rst day focused on education where the local senior schools visited the site and were provided with a brief talk about the scheme and the various job roles needed for the planning and construction of a major project. The students were then given the opportunity to meet the staff including civil engineers, designers and planners and ask questions about their job roles and what inspired them to enter the industry.

The second day saw the site opening its doors with an open invitation to the local community. A presentation on the scheme, covering the works completed and those still to be undertaken, was provided followed by a mini bus tour of the works.

Pedestrian and equestrian underpass near

Stanbridge

Contact details:If you would like to know more about the scheme please contact us. We have a dedicated Public Liaison Offi cer, Sarah Ashworth from the contractors Carillion who is based at the site offi ce.

Email: [email protected]

Telephone (mobile): 07891567123

Address:Public Liaison Officer

Carillion Civil Engineering,Stanbridge View,London Road, Handcross, West Sussex,RH17 6BA

You can also get in touch with the Highways Agency by:Highways Agency Information Line (HAIL): 0300 123 5000

Email:[email protected]

Telephone:Chris Bacon 01306 87 8448

Phil Morris 01306 87 8172

Andrew Moore 01306 87 8376

Address:Highways Agency

Major Projects,Room 2A, Federated House,London Road,Dorking, Surrey,RH4 1SZ

© Crown copyright 2014.

You may re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence.

To view this licence visit:

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4DU, or email [email protected].

This document is also available on our website at www.highways.gov.uk

If you have any enquiries about this publication, please [email protected] or call 0300 123 5000

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Further updates and copies of this newsletter can be obtained from:www.highways.gov.uk/roads/road-projects/A23-

Handcross-to-Warninglid

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