Work in Tongham completed three weeks ahead of schedule

A project to strengthen the water network in Tongham has now been completed three weeks ahead of schedule.

An investment of £130,000 has been made by South East Water to lay 170 metres of new water main along The Street to increase the capacity of the network and meet demand from new development in the area as the community grows.

The work was scheduled to take place over the six-week school summer holidays, but the project(opens in a new tab) has now been completed in half the time, with the final connection to the existing water main made last Wednesday (9 August) close to the entrance to the new development at Westbroke Way.

Works were then demobilised on Friday (11 August) and the site has now been cleared, with The Street re-opened less than three weeks after the road closure was put in place.

Jeremy Dufour, South East Water Project Manager, said: “Our team on site has worked incredibly well, making great progress and completing the project in just three weeks.

“In doing so, we have achieved our aim to minimise disruption to residents and businesses in Tongham by completing the work during the school summer holidays when fewer people are using the roads.”

The original plans for the project were to lay 600 metres of new pipeline along The Street over the course of 21 weeks, with four weeks under multi-way traffic lights and the road closed for 17 weeks.

Following community feedback at public meetings, the plans were revised to reduce the road closure to six weeks and it was agreed with Surrey County Council’s Highways Department for the work to completed in the school summer holidays.

Jeremy added: “This was a vital project for us to upgrade the water main to help meet demand in the area from the new development.

“We know that road closures will impact people locally, but we have done all that we can to try and minimise the disruption and I am pleased we have been able to do so.

“I would like to thank the Tongham community in helping us deliver this important project to future-proof drinking water supplies in the area.”